Team Itachi
by Killer of thy Cookies
Summary: What if the Third Hokage stopped the council before they could order Itachi to commit the Uchiha Clan Massacre? Itachi is one of the village's strongest ninja, and has now been given the task of being a Jonin sensei, assigned to Team 7 with his little brother Sasuke, the 'dead last' Naruto Uzumaki, and fangirl Sakura Haruno. This is Team Itachi. Other AU elements. COMPLETED.
1. Passing: The Genin Exam

**This idea just popped out in my head all of a sudden, and I knew I had to write it down. I'm no expert with Naruto stories so please do forgive me if you think this is all a piece of shit. I'll be trying to make Naruto at least a little stronger in this. Also, in the anime/manga Tobi appears before the Uchiha Massacre, leading to Itachi committing the massacre in exchange for Tobi leaving Konoha alone. Tobi will not appear before the massacre in this story. Just wanted to clear that up.**

* * *

"No, you will not give Itachi such an order."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, looked at his council members defiantly.

In front of the Hokage and the council, Itachi Uchiha mentally heaved a sigh of relief. _Thank you, Hokage-sama._

"You don't understand, Hiruzen," the voice of Danzo Shimura spoke up. The Third glared at his self-proclaimed rival. "If we don't kill the Uchiha, they will launch their stupid coup d'état idea on us." **  
**

"I'm sure Itachi here can reason with the Uchihas."

"Do you think the Uchiha will listen?"

"I can talk to my father, Hokage-sama," Itachi bowed respectfully. "There... is no need to kill. I'm sure I can convince him."

Sarutobi smiled at Danzo, who had a look of displeasure on his face.

"Fine. But if they do not listen to reason, you _will_ follow the original plan."

* * *

"It's today, isn't it?"

12-year-old Sasuke Uchiha looked up at his older brother. Itachi smiled down at him.

"Yeah..."

"I'm sure you'll pass this time, Sasuke."

"Heck yeah I will!"

Itachi laughed at his little brother. "You don't seem to think that way, though."

Sasuke looked down. "It's just that... I'm Rookie of the Year and all... it would be stupid if my classmates pass and the Rookie of the Year doesn't. Father also puts a lot of pressure into me passing. He says I would be a disgrace to the Uchiha name if I'm still in the academy next year."

"Now, now, you know he doesn't mean that," Itachi said soothingly.

The Uchiha brothers neared the academy. Crowds of students were streaming in through the doors, all excited for their Genin Exam.

"It looks like we're here, little brother."

Sasuke looked up, seeing the academy. He regarded it with a nervous expression.

"Have faith in yourself, Sasuke. I'm sure you're going to pass this and go on to become a great ninja!" Itachi said cheerfully.

Hearing his brother's words, Sasuke smiled. "I'm going in now, big brother. See you!"

* * *

"Sasuke-kuuuunn!"

Sasuke sighed as all his fan girls came up to him as he walked into the class. He had told his mother about it, and Mikoto Uchiha simply replied, "You should be honored that you have fangirls, Sasuke."

Well, obviously, it should be great, but the amount of fangirls he had was insane. Literally every girl, save for one or two, in the class was a devoted Sasuke Uchiha fangirl.

Sasuke sighed, and forced a smile at his fangirls. Mikoto had taught him how rude it was to ignore them.

"Settle down, class."

Their teacher, Iruka, had entered the classroom, and everyone went back to their seats.

"Today, we are going to conduct the Genin Exam. Passing of this test will lead to you becoming a recognized ninja, and you will be assigned to four-man teams..." Sasuke zoned out on Iruka's long-drawn explanation. Itachi had already told him everything he needed to know.

"First, we are going to have - the Transformation Jutsu."

A few students in the class groaned.

* * *

Sasuke smirked. His Transformation Jutsu had been a success, and so had his Substitution Jutsu. Now the only part left was the Clone Jutsu.

The young Uchiha closed his eyes and focused. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he'd created three perfect clones.

"That's very good, Sasuke," Iruka smiled, before taking one of the many forehead protectors and handing it over. "Congratulations. You are now an official ninja of the Hidden Leaf."

Mentally, Sasuke was cheering. He couldn't wait to show his new forehead protector to his family and older brother. But on the outside, he just smiled and nodded.

Waiting at the academy gates, Sasuke waited patiently for Itachi to show up. When he did, Sasuke ran up to him, showing off his new forehead protector.

"Look what I've got, big brother!"

"I take it that the test was a success then?" Itachi grinned broadly. He rarely grinned like that, but he was willing to make an exception for his younger brother.

"Of course!" Sasuke replied proudly.

"You're going to be assigned to your teams tomorrow, right?"

"Yep! I hope I don't get put in with one of my fangirls, but then again, the entire class is literally full of Uchiha fangirls," Sasuke sighed.

"I know what you mean, Sasuke," Itachi chuckled.

"The worst out of them are these two girls called Sakura and Ino," the younger of the two shook his head. "They're always trying to kiss my ass and all that."

"Sasuke! No unpleasant words," Itachi frowned. Sasuke looked up at his big brother with a sheepish grin.

"I'm a ninja now! Not a kid anymore!"

"Yes, yes, but still. I'm sure Father won't appreciate that sort of language in the house."

"Hehe. Anyway, you said you were treating me to rice balls if I passed, right?"

Itachi sighed. "Yes."

"Let's go, then!"

"Right."

Itachi knew how much Sasuke could eat if it was rice balls, and the older Uchiha brother peered into his weasel-style wallet. Letting off another sigh, Itachi zipped up the wallet and hurried along with his younger brother.

* * *

**Unfortunately, a short first chapter, with only about 1,000 words. Hopefully I'll find some time soon for my next update. Do leave a review to tell me stuff on how I should improve and any mistakes I made if any. Thank you!**


	2. Mizuki: Itachi to the Rescue

**Thanks to _The True Not Important_ for being the first reviewer of the story, as well as the feedback. **

* * *

"That was the best treat I've had in weeks!" Sasuke happily sighed as they walked out of the rice ball restaurant.

_And that was the worst pounding my wallet have had in weeks, _Itachi thought, sighing as well.

As they walked along the roads back to the Uchiha Compound, a shinobi suddenly appeared in front of them, scaring the wits out of Sasuke.

"What's wrong?" Itachi asked.

"It's Naruto!" The ninja replied frantically. "He's stolen one of the forbidden scrolls!"

Itachi face-palmed. He knew Naruto was the container of the Nine-Tails, and that almost the entire village shunned him. The Uchiha had sympathy for him and therefore did not interfere whenever the Jinchuriki pulled one of his fast pranks - but this was going too far.

"Hokage-sama is assembling some of the Jonin in the village to find Naruto," the ninja continued on. "He sent me to find you."

"I'll be there," Itachi nodded. He turned to his little brother. "Sasuke, you head home first. I'll join you later."

"Um... okay," Sasuke nodded. As soon as Itachi and his ninja friend was out of sight, Sasuke quickly followed. He wasn't one to miss out on exciting things.

Itachi and the other shinobi assembled were briefed by the Third, and soon he was out on the streets, finding the blonde.

_That scroll has some of the village's most powerful techniques. It cannot fall into the wrong hands... where are you Naruto..._ Itachi paced the secluded areas of Konoha. He had no idea that behind him was his younger brother, determined to see what Naruto was up to.

Sasuke knew Naruto from the academy, and they weren't on very good terms. Sasuke disliked Naruto's loud mouth, whereas Naruto was jealous of Sasuke's popularity.

This was what boosted Sasuke's curiosity. What deed had the loud-mouthed dead last committed to force a crowd of Jonin to look for him?

_Hmm... yes...! Found him! _Itachi thought, as he picked up on Naruto's chakra nearby. _Huh? Not one... but two, no... three. Who's there beside Naruto? _This thought alarmed him, and the powerful Uchiha hurried.

Finally, he arrived at his destination, peering down from a tree to see Naruto with two teachers from the academy, Iruka and Mizuki.

It took Itachi just thirty seconds to find out what was going on.

"If you hurt Iruka-sensei... I'll kill you!" Naruto growled.

_It appears Mizuki has told Naruto about the Fox... this is bad... _Itachi frowned as Mizuki taunted the blonde student about the Nine-Tails within him.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Itachi's eyes widened as he witnessed Naruto's new technique. Hundreds of Naruto's Shadow Clones popped up around the area, looking at Mizuki with determined eyes.

_He learnt the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu that fast from the scroll...? Naruto... you're something else!_

"That won't stop me," Mizuki sneered.

A Naruto clone jumped at the academy teacher, but the white-haired man dispelled it with the wave of a kunai. The clones continued attacking, but Mizuki launched into an array of punches and kicks, showing off his taijutsu ability and dispelling the clones one by one.

_He's stronger than I thought, _Itachi looked at Mizuki as the Chunin-level ninja dispelled the last of Naruto's clones.

Naruto collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

"Looks like the Nine-Tailed Fox isn't so special anymore," Mizuki spat.

"Grrr..." Naruto growled. Red chakra seeped from the blonde's body.

Itachi shook his head. "Hey, Mizuki!" The Uchiha yelled.

Mizuki turned to face the Uchiha as he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Shit!" Mizuki shrieked, forcing himself to look away as Naruto looked on in surprise, the leaking red chakra coming to a halt.

Sasuke chose this moment to come out of hiding. He leaped at the distracted teacher and kneed him in the stomach.

"Sasuke?" Itachi frowned, but let it go.

"So it's the Uchiha brats," Mizuki snarled, taking out another giant shuriken and flinging it at Naruto.

"Naruto!" Iruka yelled.

Itachi swooped in and grabbed Naruto, jumping away from the shuriken.

"T-T-Thanks... uh..."

"Itachi," Itachi smiled, and set Naruto down.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke breathed a fireball on Mizuki, who dodged with ease.

"You just had to interfere..." Mizuki glared angrily at Sasuke and Itachi. He knew he was no match for the oldest of the two Uchiha brothers.

"You will not have time to turn away this time," Itachi stated.

"Like hell! I'll just not look at your eyes!" Mizuki chuckled. "Earth Style: Earth and Stone Dragon!"

A brown dragon-like thing rose from the ground and swooped towards Sasuke.

"Watch out, Sasuke!" Itachi shouted.

Sasuke jumped out of the way swiftly.

"Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu!" Mizuki's right fist was encased in rock, and the Chunin aimed a punch at Sasuke, ramming it hard into his chest and sending him flying.

"Sasuke!" Itachi looked towards his fallen brother, but turned away. _That wasn't a killing blow... I guess I'll just have to focus on defeating Mizuki for now and hand him over to the authorities. I'll tend to Sasuke later._

To his surprise, Itachi saw Naruto run up to Mizuki with ten more Shadow Clones.

_Kid's got spunk, _the Uchiha prodigy noted.

"Take this!" A clone aimed a fist at Mizuki, but was swiftly dealt with. The nine more clones were also easily dispelled, and finally, Naruto fell back after getting hit in the stomach with a punch.

"You won't get away with this, Mizuki!" Iruka shouted weakly as his colleague took the scroll from Naruto.

"Put that scroll down," Itachi said coldly, releasing killer intent, but Mizuki wasn't intimidated.

"Goodbye, fools," he replied, cackling, and was about to run away.

However, Itachi wouldn't let that happen.

As Mizuki ran away, Iruka turned towards Itachi. "Are you mad? You let him get away!"

"Don't worry," Itachi smiled at Iruka. "He won't be able to go far."

Indeed, a few minutes later, Mizuki saw himself back at the spot where Itachi and Iruka were.

"What the fuck?" He frowned.

"My specialty," Itachi jumped into the air, before descending on him. "Genjutsu."

Knocking Mizuki to the ground, the Uchiha held a kunai to his throat.

"I see... you made me think I was running away when actually I was running around in circles... not bad..."

Itachi dragged Mizuki up, still holding the kunai to his throat.

However, Mizuki gave Itachi a back-kick, before ducking as the kunai slashed the air.

_He's fast..._

Mizuki leaped away from Itachi.

"To be able to cast a Genjutsu so easily without using your eyes..." Mizuki smirked. "Not bad."

Itachi tried to use his Sharingan, but Mizuki wouldn't look him in the eye. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

"Arghh!" The academy teacher backed away, burned by some of the mini fireballs. "Asshole! I'll beat you to a pulp, and then I'll get this scroll to Orochimaru!"

_Orochimaru..._ Itachi frowned. _One of the Legendary Sannin... A missing-nin, if I recall..._

"Earth Style: Landslide Jutsu!"

"Is Earth Style ninjutsu all you can use?" Itachi mused, as he dodged the landslide.

"Bastard... Earth Style: Earth and Stone Dragon!"

_At least I've coaxed him into fighting me. I'm fast enough to dodge all of his techniques. I'll just wait until he exhausts his chakra._

Itachi dived to the side, avoiding the dragon.

Mizuki then charged.

"Taijutsu now?" Itachi dodged as Mizuki's first punch came, then watched with amused eyes as the second and the third also missed. Mizuki was getting frustrated.

"I'll punch the lights out of you," Mizuki said angrily.

Itachi responded by finally getting on the offensive, hitting Mizuki in the cheek before pinning him down to the ground.

Fearful, Mizuki looked up, just in time as Itachi smirked.

"Tsukuyomi."

Sasuke and Naruto both got up, in time to hear Mizuki's screams that filled the air.

Itachi finished it with a strong punch, knocking Mizuki unconscious. He turned back to the two young kids with a cheerful smile on his face.

"Mizuki's screams would have alerted some of the ninja. They'll be here soon," he informed them, deactivating his Mangekyo.

With a smiling face, he watched as Iruka rewarded Naruto for his bravery with a Hidden Leaf forehead protector.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You pass!"

* * *

**How did you like the fight scene? In the next chapter, the teams are announced and newly-formed Team 7 will get their first mission. I'll be following canon so you should know what the first mission is. Stay tuned.**


	3. Seven: The Newly-Formed Team

**Huge thanks to _SMALLMANstreet _for the feedback last chapter. To answer his question, yes, Team 7 will be Team Itachi in this story obviously. Kakashi will be in charge of Team 10, while Kurenai will continue to exist in this but just not as a Jonin sensei. Chapter 3 - enjoy.**

* * *

"Hi, Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned, expecting to see a fangirl of his. To his surprise, it was Naruto Uzumaki, the boy his brother had went to the aid of yesterday.

"What are you up to, Naruto?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. He didn't exactly trust Naruto to greet him politely. "Do you want a favor or something?"

"No, no," Naruto frowned. "I just wanted to thank you and your brother for yesterday night... y'know... uh... Mizuki-sensei?"

"Uh, yeah," Sasuke nodded, recalling. "It's nothing," the Uchiha gave his classmate a small smile.

"Your brother's really strong!" The dead last quickly invited himself to sit beside Sasuke. The latter had to hide a scowl, preferring to sit alone.

_At least it isn't one of my fangirls, _he reasoned with himself.

"Yes, yes, he is."

As the two classmates talked, Sasuke got to know him. He wasn't really as bad as the young Uchiha thought he was. Just maybe a little talkative.

"Hey, what are you doing here, Naruto?"

One of their classmates, Shikamaru Nara, another dead last, had walked over to where Naruto and Sasuke were sitting.

"You only come here if you pass the Genin Exam."

"Can't you see this?" Naruto shot into a big grin, tugging onto his own forehead protector. "I passed!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He nodded and returned to his seat.

Suddenly, loud voices could be heard and Naruto turned to the back of the class and saw Sakura waving at him.

"Uh, good morning, Sakura-chan!" The blonde said nervously, a shade of red coming over his face. Sasuke noticed this, and mentally comforted him. He knew Naruto stood no chance against his number one fangirl.

"Go away!" Sakura violently pushed Naruto to the ground. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!"

"Why did you knock Naruto on the ground?" Sasuke quizzed, a little irritated by how the pink-haired girl was being disrespectful.

"Oh!" Sakura quickly helped Naruto up, albeit with reluctance. "So, can I sit beside you today, Sasuke-kun?"

This time it was Ino, another one of his fangirls, to rush over. "No! I'll sit beside Sasuke-kun!"

"First come, first serve!"

"I came into the classroom before you!"

Soon, a crowd of his female classmates had gathered beside Sasuke and the still-looking-dazed Naruto. The boy looked away, embarrassed at how many girls were fighting over him.

"I'll sit with Naruto," Sasuke finally spoke. He hoped this would fend the girls away.

Unfortunately...

Iruka stepped into the classroom, stopping the army of Sasuke fangirls chasing Naruto around.

* * *

After talking about balance or something, Iruka announced the teams.

"Now we come to the seventh team. Team 7 will consist of..."

Sasuke looked up, hoping to hear his name.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto looked up.

"Sakura Haruno!"

This time, Naruto jumped onto the table, cheering. He was with Sakura!

"Sasuke Uchiha!"

The Rookie of the Year let off a big sigh as now it was Sakura's turn to cheer. The loudmouthed dead last and the fangirl. Just great. He could probably live with the dead last, but Sakura? No way...

"Your sensei will be Itachi Uchiha," Iruka gave Sasuke a nod and a smile.

_Itachi? Big brother? _Sasuke's ears pricked up.

"Meeting with your Jonin sensei will be in thirty minutes. Until then, you are all dismissed."

* * *

_I wonder why big brother is becoming a Jonin sensei, _Sasuke thought. _Maybe Father wanted him to keep an eye and look out for me._

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke swore as he looked back. Indeed, it was that pink-haired girl. Sakura was running up to him with a lunchbox.

"Since we are a team now, we should eat together!" Sakura smiled her sweetest smile.

Sasuke looked away again, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment. Sakura was cute, sure, but he held no romantic feelings for her. Before he could open his mouth to speak, Naruto had come running after Sakura.

"Sakura-chan! I thought since we are a team now, we should eat together!" He grinned broadly as he arrived.

Sakura gave him a death glare, but Sasuke saw this as an opportunity.

"Uh... since we are all a team now, I say we all eat together!" He smiled at his two teammates, who both nodded in agreement.

* * *

Itachi had picked the team up in the class and they were now at a bridge.

"Say, brother, why did you want to become a Jonin sensei?"

Itachi shrugged. "I was bored, and Dad's Police Force thing isn't really cut out for me."

_So this is Sasuke's brother? He's so cool! Almost as cool as Sasuke! _Inner Sakura squealed.

"I gotta thank ya for yesterday, Itachi-sensei!" Naruto grinned.

"Ah. Naruto, huh?"

"Yeah!"

"Right. Now, since we are going to be a team from now on, I want you all to know every one. Each of you have to introduce yourselves to the team," Itachi told the three Genin, gesturing for them to take a seat.

"Why don't you start off, Itachi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Hn," Itachi grunted. "My name is Itachi Uchiha. I like my family. I dislike war. My dream is for the ninja world to achieve world peace. Now you go."

"Okay, okay!" Naruto had a broad grin on his face. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I like cup ramen but I like the ramen that Iruka-sensei buys for me at Ichiraku even more! I dislike the three minutes I have to wait after I put the hot water. My dream is to become greater than all of the Leaf's Hokages!"

Itachi had to hold back a chuckle. "Right. Next."

"I'm Sakura Haruno," Sakura smiled. "I like... um... my dream is..." She glanced over to Sasuke, and Itachi frowned. A fangirl on his team! He mentally swore.

"Right, right, right... And your dislikes?"

"Naruto," Sakura answered at once, glaring over at her teammate. Naruto stared back at her, sweating profusely.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha! I like my family, rice balls, and I dislike fangirls." He glanced over to Sakura. "My dream is to become the strongest Uchiha alive!"

"Great ambition," Itachi noted, and earned a cheeky smile from his little brother. "Alright, now we've got that cleared up. My first mission for the three of you will take place tomorrow."

"Mission?" The three asked together.

"Hn," the older Uchiha nodded. "A survival test, of sorts."

"Wh-What? Survival test?"

"Well, I hate to break it to you," Itachi sighed. "But, uh... out of the 27 or so who graduate... only 9 will make it as a true Genin and ninja. The rest will be sent packing back to the academy."

"No way!" Naruto yelled. "I've come too far to be sent back to the academy!"

"You don't know what 'too far' is yet, Naruto..." The Uchiha prodigy muttered under his breath. "In other words, this test has a 66 percent dropout rate," he explained.

"What was the Genin Exam for?" This time it was Sasuke's turn to ask a question.

"You can call it a preliminary test," Itachi replied. He mentally sympathized with the trio after they all hung their heads in disappointment.

"Is this how it works with every one who gets promoted to Genin?" Naruto scowled.

Itachi nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. "I, being the Jonin sensei, will determine whether you pass or fail."

"You'll pass me, right, big brother?"

Itachi turned to Sasuke and shook his head firmly. "No pulling of strings, Sasuke."

Sasuke sighed.

"Okay!" A hint of enthusiasm could be detected from Itachi's voice. "We'll meet at the Third Training Ground... you know where that is right?" When he got three nods, he continued. "We'll meet there at 8 o'clock in the morning tomorrow, sharp. Bring your ninja tools, and anything you would bring for a mission."

"I would bring cup ramen for a mission!" Naruto replied gleefully.

"You can't use cup ramen as a weapon against enemy ninja, Naruto..." Itachi frowned. "Okay. See you all later!"

With that, the team captain disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

**In the next chapter, Team 7 take their survival test, and find out if they can hold on to their Genin ranks or not! Stay tuned. **


	4. Teamwork: Itachi's Test

**Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke face off against Itachi today for the 'Battle of the Bells'. And in case some of you took it the wrong way, no, there will be absolutely no yaoi in this story. Just Naruto/Sasuke friendship. FRIENDSHIP. If this took a romance turn it will definitely be NaruSaku. I'm a big fan of that pairing. **

* * *

"Good job, you are all here on time," Itachi noted. His little Genin brother stood beside him, and the two Uchihas watched as Naruto and Sakura practically dragged themselves to the training ground.

"Good... morning... Itachi-sensei..." Naruto said drowsily, letting off a big yawn.

"Yeah... good morning Itachi-sensei..." Sakura was just as tired.

"You guys better stay awake," Itachi chuckled. "This test will determine whether you stay on as Genin, and you certainly won't pass it if you don't feel active enough."

"We should have took this in the afternoon then..." Naruto released another huge yawn.

Itachi took out three bells, ignoring his blonde student. He looked at his team.

"Alright, there are three bells here, right? Your job will be to take all three from me - one for each of you. The one who doesn't have a bell by... say, lunchtime, will be sent back to the academy. How about that?"

"Yes, Itachi-sensei," the trio said nervously.

"By the way, you can't attack your own teammates to retrieve their bells, if they get one. Your task will be to attack me, and only me," Itachi told them sternly.

Sakura then raised a hand.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Do all Jonin sensei use this method to test their students, Itachi-sensei?"

Itachi thought for a moment. "Well, most of them, but some alter the rules a little, like this one guy called Kakashi Hatake. You lot are lucky you aren't in his team. I heard his new implemented rules seriously toughens the test."

"I feel sorry for his team," Sasuke shook his head.

"Anyway, enough of that," Itachi pocketed his three bells. "As an experienced Jonin, if I go at you with everything I've got - obviously all three of you will be killed." He paused, enjoying the sight of his students' frightened expressions. "However, because you three are Genin and I don't want to kill any of you, I will be using less than half my power. Good luck."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "When do we start?"

"Now."

With that, the entire Team 7 jumped into the trees, hidden from sight.

Naruto had contemplated going up against the man one-on-one, but having saw Sasuke's brother in action against Mizuki, he knew he stood no chance.

Looking around, Naruto realized his pink-haired teammate was beside him. "Sakura-chan, how do you think we should-"

Suddenly, the two heard rustling, and then the presence of someone behind them.

"Ah-!" Sakura's scream of surprise fell quickly as a hand clamped over her mouth. They looked back to see Sasuke.

"We shouldn't give away our position," the Uchiha warned. He peered down towards his older brother, who was still in the same spot.

Itachi looked around. _They are probably hiding somewhere. Hopefully they're discussing a plan of some sort. I wouldn't want to be able to take all of them out. Teamwork is the key to the completion of this test, I hope you've realized that, Sasuke!_

"Teamwork is the key to the completion of this test," Sasuke silently informed his teammates. Sakura didn't look too surprised, but Naruto had an obvious expression of 'holy, I didn't know that'.

"What should we do?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I'm not good at devising plans and strategies. But I say the three of us all attack him together."

"Good thinking, Sasuke-kun."

"Go!"

_It seems, Sasuke has figured it out, and so quickly too, _Itachi thought, looking up into the air to see three ninja flying at him together.

"Get ready for this, big brother!" Sasuke smirked. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

Both Uchihas performed hand seals, and both blasted fireballs at each other.

Collision caused the fire to disappear in smoke, and when the smoke cleared, five Naruto clones emerged.

Itachi only had two seconds to dodge a flurry of punches from the clones, but he took those two seconds wisely and avoided.

He was soon attacked again as a giant shuriken, thrown from Sakura, flew towards Itachi. The prodigy leaped into the air, effectively dodging the shuriken.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Itachi looked around, and counted at least fifty Naruto clones ready to jump at him. Sasuke and Sakura both got into a fighting stance.

"How's your taijutsu, guys?" Sasuke looked over at his two Genin teammates.

"Uh, well, I aced the taijutsu exams but I don't know if I can execute it in real life," Sakura replied with an awkward tone. Naruto just shrugged, indicating he'd failed most of his taijutsu tests in the academy.

"Taijutsu, huh?" Itachi's eyes left the clones. "Well, come at me with everything you've got then."

"Naruto, Sakura."

Two heads snapped up and nodded.

"On my brother together... 1... 2... 3, go!"

"Shit," Itachi looked back to see Sakura accompanied by thirty clones charging towards him. Looking back to the front, he saw Naruto and Sasuke also charging, backed up by twenty clones.

The first punch came, one that Itachi ducked under. The clone that had thrown the punch was knocked gently to the side and got dispelled. The Uchiha Jonin launched into a flurry of kicks and punches, dispelling ten more clones.

Jumping into the air, Itachi watched as his three students and the clones all looked up at him.

"Shadow Clone Explosion."

Three clones appeared beside Itachi, and was pushed by the Jonin towards the Naruto clone army. One by one, they exploded, dispelling all the clones and throwing the three Genin back.

"Chargeeee!" Naruto issued a battle cry.

"Well..." Itachi formed a one-handed hand seal.

"Wha-?" Naruto looked around, to see he had been magically chained up. The blonde struggled, but found he could not move.

The next moment, Sasuke and Sakura were back at his side, but a huge fireball was right in front of him.

"Yow!" Naruto fell back, surprised to find he wasn't chained up.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked in concern. Naruto's eyes brightened. His Sakura-chan was showing him concern! But he quickly brushed that off.

"Just got a few burns," he replied awkwardly, as he felt the sting from the burn spots.

Sasuke looked at him with a confused look. "You were charging at big brother and then you suddenly froze. What happened?"

Naruto blinked.

"I put a genjutsu on him," Itachi replied for his student.

_Genjutsu! No wonder! _Naruto thought. _I'm the worst at genjutsu, I can't figure out how to do one and I also can't figure it out when I'm stuck in one. No wonder Itachi-sensei was able to catch me off-guard._

"Just one of the techniques that comes with this," the Jonin continued cheerfully, pointing to his eyes. This was when Naruto discovered that Itachi's pupils had become red.

"You're using your Sharingan against us," Sasuke scowled.

"Be thankful it's the normal one and not the Mangekyo," Itachi chuckled, as Naruto got back up. "Just a quick reminder - you have three more hours to get these bells."

"Then we'd better be quick!" Sasuke leaped into the air. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

As Itachi was pre-occupied with dodging Sasuke's fireballs, Sakura sneaked up on him.

"Nuh uh." Itachi swung a back-kick, but found his foot crashing into a log.

Sakura appeared in front of him, and managed to land a punch on his cheek. Itachi backed away, rubbing the spot he'd been hit.

"Good hit, Sakura," the older Uchiha smiled. "You timed the Substitution perfectly."

"Don't forget about me!"

"Huh?!" Itachi turned quickly, to see Naruto stretching for the bells. Swiftly, the Jinchuriki was kicked away.

_I can't let my guard down for a second against these three... _

Sasuke charged to meet his older brother with a kunai, and so did Sakura. Itachi drew a short sword and engaged the two.

"Gotcha!"

Itachi swung his head back, to see Naruto behind him again, grabbing one of the bells.

"Damn." The prodigy elbowed Naruto in the gut and snatched the bell away forcefully.

Unfortunately for the Uchiha, this was enough of a distraction for Sasuke and Sakura to nick Itachi with their kunai. Naruto, his insane stamina giving him the advantage, recovered from the former ANBU's blow quickly and disarmed his sensei by kicking him in the arm, which saw Itachi drop his sword.

As Itachi was distracted again by the hits, Sasuke stretched for the bells. Itachi shook him off with an uppercut that sent his little brother flying into the air.

Then, Naruto reached, but was again tossed aside by Itachi.

Third time was the charm for Team 7 though, as Sakura seized the opportunity and grabbed a bell right after her sensei was done with Naruto.

"Got it!" Sakura cried, and jumped away.

"Good job, Sakura," Sasuke panted. The compliment from her crush made Sakura blush.

"That's my Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, shooting his teammate a thumbs-up. Although the pink-haired girl somewhat disliked Naruto, she couldn't resist a smile.

"Congratulations on passing, Sakura," Itachi nodded, although on the inside he was thinking something a little different. _That was a fluke, unfortunately. She only got a bell because of her other two teammates... Naruto might have been the 'dead last' but I can see Sakura is the weakest out of this three. I'll have to start teaching her some ninjutsu. _

He snapped back to reality after Sasuke reached for the bells again. The younger Uchiha was forced to cut short his pursuit of the reward in Itachi's pocket, dodging as his older brother launched a Fireball Jutsu at him.

"I can still help my two teammates, right, Itachi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Of course."

"Right!" The Haruno girl jumped back into the battle. Shuriken were thrown, but Itachi deflected them with a kunai.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke blew his fireball. Itachi jumped into the air, dodging, and the fireball instead went towards Sakura. "Sakura!" The user of the technique yelled in horror, but Sakura appeared again beside Sasuke, showing that she'd used the Substitution Jutsu.

Itachi, looking downwards, sighed in relief.

Then he felt a hand in his pockets.

_I let my guard down!_ Itachi looked back, and twisted his body in mid-air to land a kick on Naruto. Both landed on the ground, with Itachi on his feet and Naruto on his butt.

To Itachi's dismay, Naruto whipped out a bell, grinning broadly at the Jonin.

_I know this was the test's objective, but to have two Genin getting two bells from me within two hours... wow... _Itachi reprimanded himself, then sighed softly. _At least I know I held back._

"Looks like I pass, Itachi-sensei!" Naruto said gleefully.

"Yes, you do."

Sasuke looked at his two teammates. He was supposed to be Rookie of the Year! With determination, he lunged for his brother with a kunai.

Two Naruto clones assisted him, and Itachi found himself having to block every punch - something which was getting a little difficult.

Sasuke wanted to do a Fireball Jutsu but decided not to. His chakra was at an all-time low.

"Take this!" Clone One leaped up and tried to kick Itachi in the face, but was dispelled with a punch.

Clone Two tried to knock Itachi off his feet, but was stabbed in the chest with a kunai and dispelled.

The clones managed to complete their job however. Itachi was distracted again. Sasuke crouched and kicked Itachi in the chin, sending him flying.

Itachi managed to land on his feet. "Nice hit, Sasuke," he commented, forming a few hand seals. "But from here, it gets tougher for you. Crow Clone Jutsu!"

A barrage of crows appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, and came together to form a clone of Itachi.

"Fire Style: Uchiha Giant Flame!"

Both clone and original performed the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, and the two fireballs combined to form a gigantic one. Sasuke gasped as the giant fireball headed for him.

The young Rookie of the Year shielded his eyes, convinced he was finished.

Not on Naruto's watch. Sasuke allowed himself to have a peek around him, and found another fifty Shadow Clones, shielding Sasuke from the fireball. The young Uchiha looked up at his teammate and smiled gratefully. Naruto responded with a huge grin and a thumbs-up.

The giant fireball dissipated, and so did Naruto's clones.

"How much chakra do you have left, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Not much... but I think I've got enough left for a mini fireball."

"That's good enough. I've been thinking of this technique for the past few minutes. When I give you the cue, blow small fireballs onto the shuriken I throw." Naruto got out a set of shuriken.

Sasuke looked at his teammate, confused.

"Now!" The whiskered Genin shrieked, flinging the army of shuriken. Sasuke carefully ignited them all with fire - accurately shooting the small flames onto his targets. To his surprise, the shurikens burned with the flame.

_What a move... _Itachi thought, as he tried as best as he could to dodge the burning shurikens. One slashed his cheek, and he couldn't resist a yelp. Then he knelt down, clutching his cheek in agony. The burn of the shuriken had made the pain even worst.

Sasuke charged along - this time backed up by Sakura. Itachi recovered quickly and kneed his younger brother in the chest. Sakura swiped a kunai but Itachi ducked, before picking the pink-haired girl up and slamming her on the ground.

"That hurt, Itachi-sensei," whined Sakura as she got up.

"Enemy ninja won't hold back like I did Sakura. If it didn't kill you, be thankful," Itachi replied calmly. Sasuke got back up and attacked with his kunai but Itachi parried his attack.

"Hya!"

Itachi ducked in time as Naruto's kunai swung over him. This time, it was Sasuke's turn as he kneed his brother in the chest.

"Ow..." Itachi clutched the spot that'd been kneed. When he looked up, Sakura had punched him in the face.

The Jonin fell to the ground, silently cursing as his nose bled.

Sasuke sat on top of him, pinning his older brother down. Itachi struggled, but it was too late. He turned back to see Sasuke holding a bell.

Rubbing his nose, the Mangekyo wielder got up and smiled.

"Congratulations. You all pass!"

* * *

**In my opinion I didn't write that fight scene too well, but hopefully you think differently. Thank you for reading! In the next chapter, Team 7 get their first C-Rank. See you then.**


	5. Mission: The Dangerous C-Rank

**People are saying I seriously under-powered Itachi in the last chapter. I've been thinking for awhile and yes, I did under-power him a lot. I might be re-writing that chapter in the future, but until then, Itachi will be way stronger than that in the next few chapters when he takes on enemies. Enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

"Sasuke. I'm in Point B."

"Sakura. I'm in Point C."

"Naruto. I'm in Point A, believe it!"

"Go slow, Naruto. Okay, Team 7..."

A shriek pierced the air.

"Target has moved! Follow it!"

Naruto winced at the shout from Itachi shooting through his ear. He chased after the target, and found himself on top of a tree, with Sasuke and Sakura below him. The blonde ninja landed on the ground softly, and Team 7 approached cautiously.

"What's your distance from the target?" Itachi's voice came again.

Naruto glanced forward. "5 meters." He prepared himself. "I'm ready, just give the signal."

"I'm ready too!" Sasuke announced.

"So am I," came Sakura's voice.

"Ready..." Itachi stared at the target intently, waiting for it to move if it did. "... Now!"

Team 7 sprung from their hiding places. The three Genin swooped down on the surprised target.

"I got him!" Naruto yelled, grabbing onto the furry creature. "I got him" He repeated, now clutching onto the cat, who was desperately struggling.

"Right ribbon on its right ear?" Itachi asked, through the earpiece.

"Yep," Sasuke confirmed.

"Righto. Lost pet, Tora, captured. Mission accomplished," Itachi replied cheerfully.

The Uchiha then winced as Naruto's voice screamed into his ear, something about stupid missions and hating cats.

* * *

"Hahaha," Naruto chuckled inwardly, as he watched the wife of the Fire Daimyo hug her lost cat. Tora glared hatefully at the blonde.

When the woman had left with her poor cat, the Third Hokage read off a list. "For Team 7's next mission... we have a few D-Ranks available. Babysitting a three-year-old, picking up potatoes..."

"Noooo!"

Sasuke and Sakura turned in surprise to look at their teammate. Naruto was glaring at the Third.

"I wanna go on a real mission!" He demanded.

Itachi stared at his student, before glancing up at the Hokage. "Uh... please excuse Naruto, Hokage-sama."

"I need something challenging and exciting, not this little kid stuff! Come on, old man!" The Jinchuriki shrieked.

"Hm. He's got a point," Sasuke voiced his opinion, and Itachi shot him a look telling his younger brother to shut up.

Sakura joined her sensei in staring at her two teammates in disbelief while softly sighing.

Iruka then yelled at Naruto, and the latter yelled back. Itachi smacked the blonde's head lightly, a clear sign that ordered him to shut his mouth.

"Listen, Naruto..." The Third sighed. "We have tons of requests that come into our village everyday, from babysitting to assassinations. These requests are carefully recorded, analyzed, then ranked A, B, C, or D, depending on their difficulty..."

Itachi nodded sagely.

"Ninja are also ranked, like Kage, Jonin, Chunin, and Genin at the bottom. Genin are expected to clear up the D-Ranks while Chunin are eligible for C-Ranks and B-Ranks. Jonin do the toughest ones, the A-Ranks. When we complete missions, we receive a fee, that helps to support the village."

Naruto didn't look convinced.

"Since you are untried Genin, just starting down the shinobi path, you are given D-Rank missions, of course."

The Third continued to drone on, and when he'd finished, he stared at the sight of Team 7 having a casual chat over Naruto's obsession with ramen. Frustrated that no one had listened to his long explanation, Sarutobi ordered them to be silent.

"Argh, stop lecturing me like you're my grandfather or something! I'm not the little brat who used to play pranks anymore! I'm a ninja now!" Naruto declared.

The two Uchiha brothers looked away, and so did Sakura. They were all thinking the same thing.

_Hahaha, not the little brat who used to play pranks anymore. Yeah right._

"Right right right," the Third had an amused smile on his face, and so did Iruka. "You want us to know that you're not a brat anymore, but a former brat, and you want a mission." Naruto scowled at the description. "So be it."

This time, the spiky-haired boy's face brightened up.

Sasuke also had a grin on his face, while Sakura had an expression of surprise. Itachi had a passive look.

"You'll be given a C-Rank mission." The old Hokage read off a list. "To be bodyguards on a journey."

"Ooooh!" Naruto was getting excited. "Who are we guarding? A princess?"

He was answered when an old man, though not as old as the Third, stepped into the room. He carried a beer bottle in one hand, and spared Team 7 an unconvincing glance.

"You really expect me to believe these three snot-nosed kids are ninja?" The drunkard asked in disbelief. "And you, the little one with an idiotic look on your face... you look nothing like a ninja!"

"Huh? Hahaha!" Naruto broke into a fit of laughter. "Who's the little one with the idiotic look-"

His two teammates stepped in to emphasize the three's height difference. Naruto was the shortest of the three. Cursing, the blonde started yelling.

"I'll demolish you!"

Itachi pulled him back with a sigh. Naruto was harder to deal with than his younger brother! "You can't demolish the client, Naruto," the Jonin reminded. "It doesn't work that way."

* * *

Team 7 were soon at the gates of Konoha, with their client, whose name was Tazuna. He had explained that their mission would be to protect him while he returned to his country - the Land of Waves, to work on some bridge that would supposedly change their world.

Naruto and Tazuna had gotten into another argument already, with the Genin proclaiming he would become the next Hokage. Tazuna had laughed his comment off, indicating how the Hokage had to be smart and wise and that Naruto was puny and brainless.

The team and Tazuna soon set off on their journey toward the Land of Waves.

Soon, Sakura had struck up a conversation with Tazuna about the Land of Waves.

The chat had led to Itachi assuring the pink-haired Genin that battles on a C-Rank mission was unlikely, so everyone could relax.

However, Sasuke noticed how Tazuna had tensed up at his brother's words. Shaking the thought off, he continued with the team on their way.

The five had soon walked past a puddle.

Itachi frowned, staring carefully at it.

"Is there something wrong, big brother?" Sasuke asked.

"No, no, no," Itachi smiled reassuringly. "I'll take care of this."

"Huh?" Tazuna looked back at his four bodyguards.

Sasuke gasped, as his brother activated the Sharingan.

"Big brother...?"

"Itachi-sensei! What's up with your eyes?"

As if on cue, two men arose from the puddle and leaped at Itachi.

Naruto took a step back, while Sakura gasped. Sasuke's eyes widened.

Chain ropes wrapped around Itachi, and the next moment he was sliced to pieces.

"No... big brother..." Sasuke had a cold feeling in his stomach.

It died down when pieces of a tree log fell onto the ground.

The two men looked back, just as Sasuke realized them as ninja from the Hidden Mist via their forehead protectors.

Itachi was standing behind them, Sharingan activated. It then turned into the Mangekyo.

"Shit..." One of the Mist ninja shuddered. "That's... that's... Itachi Uchiha... of the Hidden Leaf!"

"Who?" His companion asked curiously, as he spared the Leaf Jonin a glance.

"I think we should leave."

"Without completing our mission? No way." The man of the Mist snarled, and lunged towards Tazuna. The second man followed suit.

Sakura jumped in front of Tazuna protectively, drawing a kunai, but she didn't need to. Sasuke had jumped onto one of the men, kicking him right in the face.

Naruto took care of the other one, punching him right in the jaw.

"Good moves, Naruto, Sasuke," their sensei called. "The Demon Brothers of the Hidden Mist. Gozu and Meizu, correct?"

Gozu and Meizu looked back at Itachi, with the one called Gozu producing a look of fear.

"That's right! That's who we are! What are you going to do about it?" Meizu snarled, obviously not getting who Itachi was.

"Stand down, Meizu..." Gozu warned his sibling.

"I've seen enough," Itachi nodded. "Tsukuyomi."

A second later, Meizu had passed out on the ground after a violent fit of screams.

"Crap," Gozu got up, hauling his unconscious brother away.

However, Itachi was above Gozu in an instant, and kicked the Mist ninja in the head, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Any last words?" He asked.

"Have mercy!" Gozu begged, but Itachi shrugged.

"No? Tsukuyomi."

Gozu screamed. Naruto and Sasuke looked on in awe as the Demon Brother continued screaming his lungs out at Itachi, before passing out.

"Argh," the Uchiha Jonin put a hand up to his eyes. "Using that technique twice always hurts..." He deactivated his Mangekyo.

"Th-Thank you," Tazuna stuttered.

"Don't worry about it," Itachi replied. "We need to talk, though."

Tazuna gulped.

"The Demon Brothers, Gozu and Meizu..." The Mangekyo wielder frowned. "Two Chunin-level shinobi from Kirigakure. Chunin-level shinobi," he repeated, eyein the drunkard, who was now looking nervous. "You applied for a C-Rank mission to enlist ninja for protection against robbers and highwaymen. If you had told us there would be ninja hunting you down... this will be turning into a B-Rank, or even an A-Rank, if they send higher-level ninja at us."

"Yeah!" Sakura looked towards Tazuna. "I thought Itachi-sensei was saying earlier how C-Ranks had no enemy ninja involved!"

"Care to explain?" Itachi asked.

Tazuna looked down at his feet. The ground had suddenly become much more interesting.

"The Land of Waves is a poor country..." He looked up nervously. "I didn't have the money to pay for a B-Rank or an A-Rank. I'm sorry." The old man then looked at Itachi with a small amount of fear in his voice. "Are you going to leave me here and abandon the mission, then?"

"If we do this by the book," the Uchiha heir nodded.

_Good call, _Sakura thought. _Only Itachi-sensei could beat up those Chunin ninja so effectively! If we run into a Jonin... _

"A ninja never turns away from anything!"

Everyone looked up in surprise and turned towards the direction of the voice. Naruto was looking back at them with a determined look on his face.

"I am going to be the Hokage," the Tailed Beast container proclaimed. "And a Kage will never give up, no matter the circumstances! We'll help the old man and return him to his village, and take down any stupid enemy ninja that tries to get in our way!"

Tazuna breathed a sigh of relief.

Itachi and Sasuke had small smiles on their faces at the boy's outburst.

"Alright," Itachi nodded. "Let's continue."

_What? _Sakura had a surprised look on her face. _Well... Naruto has a point._

_I'm actually starting to believe he's going to become the Hokage, _Sasuke chuckled softly.

"Okaaaaay!" Naruto yelled.

"Full speed ahead!"

* * *

**In the next chapter, Team 7 face the Demon of the Mist - Zabuza Momochi. Stay tuned. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Danger: Demon of the Hidden Mist

**I didn't expect to get 16 reviews early at so few chapters, but I got them and it seriously means a lot to me. Thank you. I feel that I have not done that well with this story, although I think the idea and plot for it is pretty badass, but it's great to see so many people liking it. **

**Thanks to _AelitaOfTheWolves, angel-eyes8611, kingdavidtt_ and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"Your destination is up ahead. The Land of Waves."

The five-man party on the boat made no attempt to acknowledge the boatman's words, but Itachi, being the most polite and all, gave a small nod and a soft grunt.

Naruto took in the scene. There was construction everywhere as they rowed into the country.

"It's huge!" He exclaimed.

"Shut up, kid!" The boatman raised his voice at the 12-year-old, causing him to sit back and zip his mouth. "Why do you think we're travelling like this, huh?"

Itachi cast his gaze towards Tazuna. The old man had a hat on that masked most of his face.

"Mr. Tazuna," the Jonin began, causing his team's client to look up. "I need to know why those men were after you."

"Um..." Tazuna shifted uneasily.

Noticing his hesitance, Itachi looked away. "If you don't tell us, I'll be forced to ignore Naruto's words and end the mission after we step ashore."

Now, Tazuna realized the entire Team 7 was giving him a curious look.

"I have no choice but to tell you," he sighed. Then he straightened up. "No... I want you to know the truth." Looking down guiltily, Tazuna continued. "Itachi, your name was? As you said, this goes beyond the scope of the original mission."

"We know that already," Naruto replied impatiently, but Sasuke brought a hand up to his face, indicating to his teammate to shut up. The blonde Genin scowled, but complied.

"The one who wants my life is a very short man, who casts a very long and deadly shadow."

"A deadly shadow... hm." Itachi mulled. "Who is it?"

"You know him," Tazuna replied, his voice almost fearful. "Or at least you've heard of him before. He's one of the worthiest men in the world. The shipping magnate, Gato."

"Hn. Gato." The captain of Team 7 registered a look of small surprise on his face, but it quickly faded.

"Who, who? What, what?" Naruto asked, obviously unaware of who this Gato was.

"Gato," Tazuna had a solemn look on his face. "He's the tycoon of a very famous company... but below the scenes, he's a drug dealer." The look in the man's eyes hardened. "There are rogue ninjas working for him too."

"This guy must be pretty extraordinary," Sakura finally spoke up.

"He just sounds like a short little man who gives orders from behind the scenes to me. Like a coward," Sasuke frowned.

Naruto nodded eagerly at Sasuke's statement, agreeing.

"It was one year ago when Gato first set his sights on the Land of Waves." Tazuna's voice had turned bitter and his expression becoming even more depressing, like he was registering a memory that he didn't want to remember. "He came to our island and used his wealth to take control of our transport and shipping. And anyone who tried to stand in his way... simply disappeared."

Itachi's brows furrowed.

"He's evil!"

Everyone on the boat, even the boatman, turned to shoot Naruto a look for his obvious comment.

Tazuna was soon continuing his story. "There's one thing Gato fears though. The bridge. It will join us to the land and that will break his control." Now the old man's eyes twinkled. "I am the bridge builder."

"So that's it," Sakura deduced. "Since you're in charge of the bridge, you're standing in this Gato's way."

"That means, those Demon Brothers that we fought in the forest..." Sasuke turned to Itachi. "... were working for Gato."

"I don't understand," Itachi scratched his chin. "If you knew he was so dangerous, why did you hide that from us?"

"That's because the Land of Waves is a small and poor nation," Tazuna replied, suddenly feeling very small. "Even our nobles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge, they can't pay for an A or B-Rank mission. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home."

Naruto shuddered.

"But..." The old man now hid a little smirk forming on his face. "Don't feel bad about that. Of course my sweet little grandson will cry, 'Granddad, I want my granddad!'. Oh, and my daughter will condemn the ninja of Konoha, for abandoning her father and making her life sorrowful. Ah well, it's not your fault, forget it."

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto now had guilty looks on their faces. Heck, even Itachi looked upset.

"Well, I guess we have no other choice. We'll have to keep guarding you." The older Uchiha of the team smiled.

* * *

Team 7 and Tazuna had stepped onto dry land and were now walking towards the old man's house. Itachi was thinking quietly to himself.

_I have a feeling next time they send an enemy ninja, it won't be Chunin-level shinobi but a Jonin, _he mentally sighed. _Well... not like I can't take him on anyway. I'm not exactly boasting but I'm pretty strong, what with my Mangekyo Sharingan and all. Nah, you're boasting. No... I'm not. What... am I talking to myself now? Sheesh._

Sensing something in the bushes, Itachi instinctively threw a kunai, drawing curious glances from the other four.

The team walked into the bushes, and were all surprised to see a white snow rabbit looking as thin as a sheet. Above it was a kunai embedded in the tree trunk.

"Itachi-sensei!" Sakura gasped, running towards the poor animal. "Look what you've done!"

"Oh, poor rabbit!" Naruto rushed towards it and started cuddling the frightened creature.

Itachi ignored his students, and his little brother could see he was thinking of something. _That's a snow rabbit, _the former ANBU looked around cautiously. _But they only have white fur during winter. This rabbit was raised indoors..._ His genius mind running over a thousand possibilities, he finally settled on the most possible one.

A Substitution Jutsu.

"Look out!" Itachi screamed.

A flying sword whizzed over their heads, as the party all dropped to the ground safely, dodging the malicious weapon.

The sword hit a tree, and stuck into the truck. Instantly, a man landed onto it, using the weapon as a platform.

Sasuke studied the new enemy. The shirtless muscled man had a mask covering half his face, as well as a forehead protector worn sideways to indicate he originated from Kirigakure. His hair was also rather spiky.

"Zabuza Momochi, of the Hidden Mist."

"You know this guy, Itachi-sensei?" Naruto jabbed a finger at the newcomer.

_This can't be good... _Tazuna thought.

"Itachi Uchiha, of the Hidden Leaves," Zabuza replied, eyeing the Jonin. "Damn, this sucks."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Unfortunately," Zabuza continued. "I'll be needing the old man, so it looks like I'll have to face you in battle, huh. I heard trying to fight an Uchiha is a pain in the ass. Tough luck."

Naruto and Sakura's gaze leaped back and forth between Zabuza and Itachi repeatedly. Both Genin were surprised as their sensei's eyes shifted into red ones.

A shuriken-like object appeared within the pupil.

"Uh, uh, uh." The sword-wielding muscled man shifted his line of sight to Itachi's feet. "I'm not falling for that."

_It's big brother's Mangekyo Sharingan! _Sasuke thought. _This man must be equal on power with those Demon Brothers. No... by looking at him, I can tell... the Demon Brothers are way out of his league. This guy is something else._

"Well, I guess it is an honor to see the Mangekyo Sharingan in action," said Zabuza. "Not exactly 'see', but... heh." He chuckled softly at his own little joke.

"You'll have to look into my eyes sooner or later," replied the Uchiha calmly.

"I doubt it."

"Stand back," Itachi looked back towards his team. "You three, protect Tazuna. Teamwork, use it."

"I'm not standing back here while you fight," Sasuke retorted.

"Yeah, me too!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura had a hesitant look on her face.

"I appreciate that," Itachi smiled. "But this guy... you won't be able to fight him."

"Why? Are you doubting my ability?" Naruto yelled.

"Ah, I remember being a Genin." Zabuza looked up into the sky, with a nostalgic expression on his face. "Although I wasn't really as dumb as you look." He looked back down at Naruto.

"Hey!" The blonde shrieked.

"Seriously, if I was you, I would back off." The team noticed Zabuza had a wide, evil grin hidden by the mask. "A man wielding a giant sword isn't really one to be trifled with, especially if you're a Genin."

Surprisingly, Zabuza's words caused Naruto and Sasuke to step aside.

"Thanks for that," Itachi smirked.

"No problem."

Zabuza disappeared in a few seconds.

Itachi was instantly alert.

"Protect Tazuna!" He issued an order to the Genin trio.

"You shouldn't worry just yet, you know."

The Kirigakure man was suddenly in front of Itachi, standing a meter away.

"I'll kill you first before I kill the old man."

"I would like to see you try," he replied coldly.

"Okay. Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu."

Mist eventually seeped into the area.

_I knew he would use this... well... shit. The Sharingan, Mangekyo or not, isn't really that effective within the mist._

"What's wrong, Itachi? Scared, already?" A teasing voice came.

Tensing, Itachi leaped to the side as Zabuza's sword slammed down on the position he'd been in two seconds ago.

_So that's the famous Kubikiribocho, wielded by one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. _Drawing a katana himself, Itachi got into a battle stance. _I haven't used kenjutsu in battle for awhile, but here goes._

Bringing his weapon upwards into the air, Itachi blocked a swing from the Kubikiribocho. Then, he swished to the side and blocked again elegantly as the giant sword attacked him again.

"Not bad," Zabuza admitted, his figure still hidden.

"I wasn't an ANBU captain for nothing," was the reply.

_I can't aim any ninjutsu or cast even a simple genjutsu on him now I can't see him... I'll just have to keep sensing where he's coming from and block... Damn, I need to find a way to dispel this stupid mist._

As if on cue, the mist disappeared. Blinking in surprise, Itachi saw Zabuza standing by the river.

"Fire Style: Flame Bombs!"

Zabuza raised an eyebrow to see a bullet of fire rushing towards him. Taking a massive jump into the air, the swordsman avoided easily.

Seeing his technique hadn't worked, Itachi charged.

"Hmph." Zabuza smirked beneath his mask. He dodged as Itachi swung his katana, before aiming a kick at the Uchiha, attempting to drive him into the water.

To his surprise, Itachi dodged the kick but fumbled, before falling into the water after losing his balance.

"Ha! Itachi Uchiha? More like Big Fucking Clumsy!"

Sasuke growled in rage at the insult, and wanted so much but to charge up to Zabuza and punch this man in the face. Unfortunately, he knew he was no match for the older man.

"Urgh..." Itachi rose from the water.

"You've just made your first mistake. Water Prison Jutsu!"

"Crap!" The water around Itachi formed into one big sphere, with the Jonin trapped within.

"Looks like you're trapped. Now," Zabuza made a one-handed hand seal. "Water Clone Jutsu." A Zabuza clone appeared, and rushed towards the Genin of Team 7 and Tazuna.

Suddenly, the clone dispersed with a burst of water as the foot of Itachi Uchiha sank into it's face.

"What?" Zabuza growled, turning towards the Itachi he held in his water prison. This Itachi smirked, before dispersing in a puff of smoke. "Damn. I knew something was off about the way he was so careless... A Shadow Clone..."

"I knew you were up to something when you dropped the mist." Itachi's voice had an air of victory surrounding it. "I used the Fire Style: Flame Bombs knowing you would dodge it easily because the attack came from afar. While you took the time to dodge, I also made use of the time to create a Shadow Clone while hiding myself, the original. The Shadow Clone fell into the water and into your lame trap on purpose."

"For what?" The Kubikiribocho wielder sneered. "All you did was find out that I'm able to use the Water Prison Jutsu."

"For what, you ask?" Somehow, the smile etched on Itachi's lips caused a feeling of fear to run through Zabuza's body. "For this."

"Shit!"

Zabuza immediately discovered he was in a genjutsu. The surrounding land, trees and river had turned into a world of red. There was nothing anywhere except a red-colored space.

"You were caught off-guard after I outsmarted you, and explained how I outsmarted you." Itachi instantly appeared in front of Zabuza. "Thus, you made the mistake of looking right into my eyes."

"Don't even think you have me right where you want me. I can still wound you despite this being your genjutsu," the swordsman threatened, holding his giant sword dangerously in front of him.

"As you said, it's my genjutsu, my world." Itachi snapped his fingers, and the Kubikiribocho disappeared. "I control everything here. So yeah, technically you can't wound me."

"Damn it..." Zabuza backed away.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes," the prodigy said softly.

"Gah!"

Zabuza screamed as three stakes stabbed into his body. One into his chest and two into his back.

"You... you..." He coughed. "You... you think that bothers me?"

"Probably not, so let me try again." Itachi smiled. Four more stakes embedded themselves into the rogue ninja's body, causing him to cry out in pain continuously. "What about another three more?"

Before Zabuza had time to answer, three stakes appeared and stabbed into his stomach.

Now on the ground and writhing in pain, Zabuza's eyes darted up to Itachi.

He considered begging, but held his voice back. The Demon of the Hidden Mist never begged in any circumstances. If he died a slow and torturing death here, so be it.

But then the former Ninja Swordsman remembered he was in a genjutsu.

_This pain isn't real._ He fought to convince himself. _This pain isn't real!_

His thoughts were responded with a stake piercing through his heart. In normal circumstances, of course. This was a genjutsu.

However, the pain was very much there. He couldn't control his wild screams.

"Shall we move to your legs now?" Itachi had a kind but creepy smile on his face. Instantly, two stakes stabbed into his right and left leg.

Zabuza fell to the ground, resulting in the stakes on his back being pushed further in.

Back in the Land of Waves, Team 7's Genin looked on at Zabuza in shock. The menacing killer had turned into a man that screamed like a woman.

Non-stop screams continued as the recent academy graduates stared on. Itachi hadn't moved at all, but Zabuza was acting as if he was about to be killed.

Naruto and Sakura were clueless, but Sasuke knew what had happened. Apparently, so did Tazuna.

"So this is the power of the Sharingan..." He said fearfully. "I'm glad Itachi is on our side."

"Graaaaargh!"

Zabuza's shout of agony turned their attention back to the battle. He had broken out of his trance, with Itachi also relaxing his body.

From nowhere, thrown senbon struck the neck of Zabuza, and the dangerous-looking shinobi fell silent, slamming onto the ground.

A masked individual leaped from the trees, and landed behind the dead form of the Demon.

"She... he... whoever this guy is... he killed Zabuza!" Naruto gasped.

"He has long hair, it's probably a she," Sakura pointed out.

"Maybe he... she... no, it. Maybe it has two genders," the blonde blurted out.

Sasuke face-palmed.

Itachi glanced at the masked newcomer warily. "Hunter-nin?" He asked.

When the apparent hunter-nin nodded to confirm this, Zabuza's body was picked up.

"Thank you for weakening him," the killer nodded. "This man's body holds plenty of secrets to the Hidden Mist. I can't allow it to fall into the wrong hands. Now if you'll excuse me, allow me to excuse myself to destroy the body."

When Itachi nodded again, the hunter-nin disappeared into the trees, lugging along Zabuza.

The Jonin sensei turned back to face his team, and was surprised to see their jaws hanging open.

"Y-You were so powerful, Itachi-sensei!" Sakura gasped.

Inner Sakura emerged again. "If Itachi-sensei keeps on being this cool I'm changing my love interest! Cha!"

"Did you do something to your eyes?" Naruto asked eagerly, as Itachi's red eyes shifted back to their normal black. "Can you teach me?"

Sasuke frowned at Naruto's question. "The Sharingan can only be learned by the Uchiha."

"C'mon, c'mon, I'm sure Itachi-sensei can make an exception for me, right?"

"I don't think you get it, Naruto," Sasuke shook his head.

"Shut up, Sasuke!" Was his reply. The young Rookie of the Year scowled.

Turning to his brother, he asked, "brother, what is a hunter-nin?"

"I will answer all your questions when we get to Mr. Tazuna's house," Itachi sighed. Were kids always this questioning? He didn't remember asking so many questions as a kid. Gesturing to his client, Tazuna nodded and immediately led the way, although still visibly shaken.

"Follow me."

* * *

**That's it for the chapter. How did you like the short fight scene? In the next chapter, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura get some training from Itachi to prepare them for the eventual rematch with the apparently-dead Zabuza and his apparent hunter-nin friend. Stay tuned.**


	7. Training: Preparing For The Enemy

**Firstly, I have to thank _imsabbel_ for the thoughts on this story. He really pointed out a few mistakes I made. **

**It's extremely annoying how all my interesting ideas (or at least the ones I think are interesting) won't be able to appear in this story until much much later. **

**There are also a few readers interested to know if there were pairings in this story. I'm actually already thinking of that and it's a definite "maybe". **

**Thanks to _AelitaOfTheWolves, imsabbel_ and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"What the fuck did that guy do to... me?"

Zabuza coughed wildly after his sentence.

"You have a fever, Zabuza-dono."

The 'hunter-nin' took off his mask.

"Fuck that..." Zabuza sat up, feeling a headache coming on. "I'll need to learn how to fight while blindfolded."

"Fight while blindfolded?"

"Yeah. It turns out one of the ninja guarding our... cough... target is the..." The swordsman started coughing again.

"The?"

"Itachi Uchiha..." He snarled. "Itachi Uchiha... of the Leaf..."

* * *

"What can you do with the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi-sensei?"

After learning the Sharingan was a technique that could only be learnt by the Uchiha, Naruto's disinterest in the subject promptly grew, much to Itachi's amusement. However, Sakura was very much interested in the dojutsu.

"I get a few cool techniques," he shrugged. "Mostly genjutsu. But using the Mangekyo Sharingan can hurt your eyes."

Sasuke turned away at this point, frowning.

"Hurt your eyes?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," her crush spoke up. Sasuke turned towards his older brother.

Naruto rushed into the room, practically ending their conversation.

"Hey, hey, Itachi-sensei! They say we can stay in the biggest room!" He beamed.

"That's... um, that's good, Naruto."

"What about me?" Sakura quizzed.

"Huh?"

Naruto stared at his pink-haired teammate. She glared back.

"Idiot," Sasuke smirked. "Sakura's a female. Obviously she'll need to be in a different room."

"Of course, I don't mind cuddling up to you at night, Sasuke-kun," she replied, giving him hopeful eyes.

Sasuke and Itachi shrank back in disgust.

"W-W-What?!" Naruto's eyeballs looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets.

"I was joking," Sakura scowled.

Taking a seat with his team, Naruto looked at Itachi. "Eh, Itachi-sensei. Who was that guy that tried to fight us? You know, the one that got killed by the hunter-nin? Zabuza?"

Itachi nodded. "Zabuza Momochi, sometimes dubbed the Demon of the Hidden Mist. He hails from the Hidden Mist Village, Kirigakure." The Jonin's eyes hardened. "When Zabuza was in the ninja academy, the Fourth Mizukage began passing the rule of a new style of graduation."

"Graduation? From the academy?"

Nodding, Itachi continued. "This 'new style' of graduation - was to pit all the graduates against each other in death matches as a final exam."

Sasuke couldn't hold a gasp back in.

"Students that worked with each other... ate with each other... made friends with each other... were all forced to kill. Zabuza... he slayed over one hundred of his classmates."

"What?!"

"After that, the practice was discontinued and he became known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist." Itachi sighed. "He's currently, or shall we say, he was a missing-nin, a ninja that defected from his village after committing a serious crime. Until his death, of course."

"Ah yeah, the hunter-nin killed him, right?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, he did."

_Somehow... I have a bad feeling about that hunter-nin._

* * *

"Hey... big brother."

Team 7 had just finished their dinner, with Naruto getting into yet an argument again with Tazuna's bratty grandson.

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"I was thinking... Gato should be calling more of his men to attack us. Shouldn't you teach us something new that we can use against these enemy ninja, just to back you up or something?"

Itachi looked back and smiled. "Are you sure this isn't just a new excuse to learn some new jutsu, Sasuke?"

"O-O-Of course not!" Sasuke's lips broke into an embarrassed and innocent smile.

"Well, right, since you asked. I'll be teaching you, Naruto and Sakura something new."

As if on cue, Sasuke's teammates arrived. The four went out into the back of the house, where there was a field. Itachi whipped out three plainly-decorated cards and handed one to each of his Genin students.

Seeing the confused faces, Itachi spoke. "I'm sure the academy didn't teach you this before. We are now going to find out the elemental nature of your chakra. Having a natural elemental nature allows you to use ninjutsu from that element more effectively."

When he saw Naruto's 'I'm-so-confused' face, he sighed and decided to give a demonstration.

"Okay. Most of the Uchiha clan have a natural affinity with the Fire element," he revealed. "However, some have Fire as their second element, and their main elemental nature would be something else. For example, my main element is Water, so I can do Water ninjutsu with ease apart from Fire ninjutsu."

"You can have two elements?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, you can. Most Jonin have two elements," Itachi nodded. "The main elemental natures a ninja commonly has are those of Fire, Wind, Water, Earth and Lightning."

"So how do we find out?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"You pour a little bit of your chakra into that card. If it's Fire, the card will burn. If it's Water, it'll be soaked. Wind chakra splits the card into half, Lightning makes it crumple, and lastly, Earth chakra causes the card to turn into dust."

Sakura concentrated and she was surprised as her card disappeared into dust.

"Does this mean my main element is... Earth?"

"That's right, Sakura."

Sasuke held his card up, and it crumpled. "Lightning!"

Naruto held his up as well, and it split into half. "Wind!"

"Wind?" Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Never mind. It's bothersome no one in the team has an affinity for Water, but I do know a few basic Earth jutsu," he nodded towards Sakura. "Unfortunately, I'll have to teach Sasuke and Naruto something else because I'm not good at Lightning or Wind."

Seeing Naruto's brows becoming a frown, the Jonin sensei couldn't hold back an amused chuckle.

"We don't have much time. Gato could send a ninja any time." Itachi's eyes narrowed. "So let's begin now. The first step for everyone will be to do tree climbing."

Sasuke and Naruto both pounced onto individual trees, and proceeded to climb up the giant plant.

"No, no, not that type of tree climbing!"

Confused, both teammates jumped off and landed on the ground.

"Channel chakra into your feet, and climb up the trees using only your feet," he instructed.

"That's impossible!" Naruto retorted. Itachi shook his head.

"Tree climbing is a good training exercise for those who wish to master chakra control. If you want to learn a new jutsu, you'll have to at least have a good grip on chakra control."

"Let's do it!" Sakura said enthusiastically, getting to her own tree.

The three Genin channeled chakra into their feet and raced up the trunk.

Naruto shrieked as he fell off after his first three steps, while Sasuke only managed to get to half the tree.

To everyone's surprise, Sakura managed to get to the top, but fell before she could make her final step.

"You did very well, Sakura." Even Itachi was surprised. _Her chakra control is wonderful, but I can tell she would be below-average when it comes to defending herself in a battle. I think she'll make a fantastic medical-nin._

* * *

Itachi yawned. He glanced over at the clock in the room. 2 o'clock in the morning. Cursing his body clock, the Uchiha man turned to his side, and was astonished to see both Sasuke and Naruto missing from their beds.

Getting up, he opened the window to see Naruto and Sasuke still practicing their tree-climbing.

"Yes! I won!"

Naruto was at the top of his tree, shooting Sasuke a victorious look from above.

Sasuke glared, and started yet another ascend up the tree.

_Well, I guess it's good that they're practicing, _Itachi smiled, closing the window and returning to his own bed.

"There!" Sasuke finally found himself able to stand at the top of his tree. "I've got it."

"Not bad."

"Tsk. Dick."

"Dick?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

"Read a dictionary," the Uchiha youngster started laughing, as he descended onto the ground with Naruto.

"Whatever," snorted Naruto. "Argh, I'm so tired! I'll see you in the morning."

"No, I'm sleeping too," Sasuke yawned, and the two Genin headed back into Tazuna's house.

* * *

After a good breakfast, Sasuke had been sent to protect Tazuna at the bridge, while Itachi stayed back with the two other Genin to train them for an inevitable battle.

Sasuke felt the small communicator he had in his ear. With it, he could warn his brother of any impending danger or threats to Tazuna at the bridge.

"So, are we going to the bridge?" He asked. Tazuna nodded solemnly.

"Are you sure one brat is enough to guard me?"

"I'm not a brat," retorted Sasuke. "And no, I'm not enough to protect you, but I can warn my team if someone dangerous arrives."

"We'll all be chopped meat by then."

"Nah, ninja travel faster than you think."

Tazuna didn't look too convinced, but he dropped the issue.

Back at the house, Itachi watched on as both Naruto and Sakura got to the top of the tree on their first try of the day.

"Wow..." The normally stoic man had an expression of surprise. "You guys mastered this fast."

"Of course! Who do you think I am? The great Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto yelled, jumping down from his tree. Sakura landed along with him, scoffing at his comment.

Itachi produced the weapon he had used in the battle with Zabuza, and handed it to Naruto.

The katana was studied closely by the Genin. It felt heavy in his hands.

"Naruto." Itachi's serious voice made Naruto's head snap up. "While we're here in the Land of Waves, waiting for any enemy to strike, I want you to be at least average in kenjutsu."

"Kenjutsu?"

"Kenjutsu is the classification for techniques that require a sword to carry out," Sakura immediately answered, reciting what she had learnt.

"That's right, Sakura," Itachi nodded, turning towards Naruto. "I want you to be able to at least use a weapon in battle, and if possible, at least one kenjutsu technique." Turning his head up to gaze at the sky, he continued. "We don't normally teach Genin about kenjutsu, but since we're on an A-Rank mission now, I'll make an exception."

Obviously, Naruto was excited. He started to fiddle around with the katana, stabbing the air awkwardly.

"You're going to learn an A-Rank technique. It's called the Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance." The Uchiha Jonin smiled. "I think it's perfect for you, since you have the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"What's the Crescent Moon Dance?"

Itachi took the katana from Naruto, and requested the blonde for a Shadow Clone. Naruto complied.

Two Itachi clones appeared on either side of the original, and the three Itachi Uchihas were on the Naruto clone in an instant, stabbing him in the stomach and both hips, causing the clone to instantly disperse.

"Wow..." Sakura gasped. "You're going to do that, Naruto?"

"Yes," Itachi answered for the Jinchuriki. "I'm not asking for a mastery, since you're a Genin and all, but..."

"What are you talking about? I'm definitely going to master it! Believe it!"

Sakura and Itachi sighed, as Naruto started practicing with his clones.

"Sakura. I'm going to teach you a basic Earth Style jutsu. Do you think you're up for it?"

The pinkette looked up in surprise. She was going to learn a jutsu? "Of course I'm up for it, Itachi-sensei."

"Then let's get going," Itachi smiled. "I'm not very good at Earth Style since my affinity is Water and Fire, but I can at least do some basic ones. For example, the one you're learning... Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

Itachi sank into the ground, causing Sakura to jump back in surprise. The next moment, a hand rose from beneath and pulled her underground. Itachi reemerged back onto land.

"What?" Sakura frowned. She couldn't move. Only her head stuck out of the hole that she'd been pulled into.

"The Headhunter Jutsu was, well, originally a method for easily beheading a target." When Sakura's face paled, Itachi quickly continued. "However, these days it's a simple D-Rank technique that is used to paralyze the enemy. While the enemy can break out of the ground himself, he'll take at least ten minutes to do so, leaving you with ten minutes to formulate a strategy or battle plan."

"So, it's not an attacking move?"

"It is. When the target is trapped beneath, you can just stab a kunai into his head. But of course, in friendly spars, no, it isn't an attacking move."

Sakura had a look of disgust on her face as she tried to imagine herself stabbing kunai into heads. Shaking her head, she shot her teacher a weak smile.

"There are no hand seals for this technique. Instead, you just channel as much chakra as you can to your feet."

Nodding at the Jonin, Sakura did as told. To her surprise, the ground around her turned as soft as sand, and she sank into the underground. She almost screamed, but resisted.

"Now that you're under there, just reach your hand up, and pull the target, me, under, while you dive up."

"H-H-How do I do that?"

Calmly, Itachi knelt down to the ground, knowing Sakura was below. He projected his voice as loud as he could. "When you channeled chakra to your feet, your feet in turn channeled the chakra to the ground, making it as soft as sand, something that ninja with the Earth affinity can do easily."

"Okay..."

"Next, reach your hand out through the same position that you sank under." He hoped his words were clear enough. Apparently, it was, as he soon saw Sakura's small hand poking out.

"I think I've got it," he heard her say. Smiling, the Uchiha man nodded, although he knew she couldn't see him.

"Good job, Sakura. Just grab onto my leg and pull me into the ground as hard as you can."

"How do I see where your leg is?"

Sighing, Itachi called, "the nearest solid object that you touch will be my leg."

He soon felt a hand grasping his left foot. There was a hard yank, and Itachi's body was soon concealed, with only his head poking out. Sakura jumped out back into the air, coughing.

"Very well done, Sakura," Itachi said in surprise, wriggling. "You got it right on your first try."

"I-I did?"

A smile and a nod was her reply. "Could you get me out, now?"

Sakura's face fell. "The thing is, I don't know how."

Chuckling, Itachi continued wriggling. "No matter. I'm out." With a burst of strength, he forced his body out of the trap and leaped into the air, before landing on the ground in style.

"I thought you said the target would only break out after ten minutes tops," the kunoichi raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, I meant most ninja break out of the Headhunter Jutsu in ten minutes. Some really skilled ones can break out in a matter of seconds, however," Itachi turned away, hoping his student hadn't noticed the self-praise.

"Did you just self-praise yourself?"

"Of course I didn't!" An innocent smile tugged on Itachi's lips. "You still look a bit awkward with the Headhunter Jutsu though, so I suggest you keep practicing till you get the hang of it." When he received no rejection to his idea, Itachi made a hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

An Itachi clone appeared beside him. "Have fun," he waved to his clone and Sakura, proceeding to check on Naruto.

_Okay, I got this. I got this, _Sakura told herself repeatedly, trying to sound confident.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

* * *

"How's the practice coming along?"

Naruto turned to see Itachi walking towards him. He grinned broadly.

"Great!"

The orange-wearing Genin turned back to his tree.

"Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

Two Shadow Clones appeared beside Naruto, and the three closed in on the tree, then leaving three cuts on the trunk. Itachi nodded, and decided to afford his blonde student some applause.

"I mastered it, huh, Itachi-sensei?"

"Not quite," Itachi shook his head, making Naruto frown. "To execute the Crescent Moon Dance perfectly, you must be fast. You're anything but fast, Naruto."

Naruto sighed.

"Don't worry though. Other than speed, you're pretty much settled. The execution of the technique was rather accurate. Maybe we can work on your speed sometime again. For now, how about a friendly spar using only kenjutsu?"

"You've got it!" Naruto smirked. "I'm going to pound you so hard, Itachi-sensei!"

"Don't get too confident, Naruto," Itachi winked in reply, drawing another katana, showing he had two. "Let's see what you can do." He charged forward, something rather uncharacteristic of him.

"Woah!"

Naruto picked up his katana, as Itachi brought his up. Both katanas clashed with a loud clank.

Raising his foot, Naruto kicked his sensei in the chest to force him away, before bringing his katana forward and hoping he looked like a pro. "Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

The self-claimed future Hokage leaped at Itachi with his clones, but the three identical boys only managed to slice into a tree. As his two clones dispersed, Naruto turned back.

_Itachi-sensei is right! He was able to dodge my attack so easily!_

"Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance." Itachi formed two clones and the three rushed towards Naruto.

_He's using the Crescent Moon Dance! _Naruto thought, scrambling to get away, but unlike his student, Itachi didn't miss. In the blink of an eye, Naruto was pinned down with all three clones waving their katanas dangerously at his neck.

"Whew," the 12-year-old breathed a sigh of relief. He had expected to get three cuts or stabs. But then the blonde scolded himself.

_Of course Itachi-sensei wouldn't hurt me! _A big toothy grin crept out onto Naruto's lips. Itachi stared at him, but decided not to ask.

"Who's pounding me?" He teased, and Naruto's grin disappeared into a pout.

* * *

**I feel that Kakashi should have taught Naruto more cool jutsu, so I'm making it like that in here, except the one who does it is Itachi, obviously. Sakura is also extremely "useless" as haters would call her in Part I, and I really like her character so I just want to make her a little stronger in here. I can already feel all the reviews chiding me on how Naruto and Sakura progressed too fast. **

**Anyway, until next time! :) **


	8. Alive: Zabuza's Return

**What are the pairings you think should be put into this story? I've actually got a solid idea for one or two but I would like to hear your views.**

**I am also actually willing to tell these ideas to anyone who are confident they can develop them further. **

**Thanks to _Blood-red Moonlight, angel-eyes8611_ and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

Itachi eyed Sasuke and Sakura. It was Naruto's turn to protect Tazuna at the bridge for the day. He had complained about stopping his kenjutsu training after only a day, but finally relented after Itachi promised to treat him to ramen after they got back home.

_If we get back home,_ Itachi now corrected his earlier words to his student. He had a bad feeling in his chest, and the Uchiha man hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with any casualties.

"Okay, Sasuke, Sakura. Let's begin."

"Itachi-sensei!" Naruto's voice screamed into his ear. "It's the freak with no eyebrows!"

"What?"

"It's Zabuza! He's here!"

"WHA-"

The communication line went dead.

* * *

"WHA-"

"Woaaah!" Naruto flew into the air, and his earpiece communicator came off.

Zabuza smirked beneath his mask, satisfied with the punch he had dealt the young blonde. Withdrawing his sword, the Demon prepared to take another life, but Naruto wasn't having it.

"Take this!"

A kunai was flung, but Zabuza effortlessly knocked it away with his giant sword.

"You need better than that to save your skin, kid."

They were on the bridge, and all the builders had fled the scene upon the arrival of Zabuza and his hunter-nin pal. Tazuna stood behind Naruto, shaking in fear as the Genin picked himself back up.

Seemingly unfazed by the punch, he formed a hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Hundreds of clones appeared, surrounding Zabuza and the hunter-nin on the bridge.

"I'll take half of them and you take the other half," said the swordsman with a big grin. The hunter-nin merely nodded, and drew out a few sharp needles. Naruto recognized them as senbon.

With amazing accuracy, the senbon was thrown and each one pierced one clone in the neck, effectively dispersing it.

"Good job Haku," Zabuza commented, slicing a clone into pieces.

The one called Haku politely nodded.

"Hey!" Naruto pointed at the both of them, just as the last of his clones dispersed. "I'm not letting you get the bridge builder, you hear me? I, Naruto Uzumaki, will fight you! Believe it!"

Zabuza broke out into evil laughter, before lunging at his target with the Kubikiribocho.

Drawing his sensei's katana, Naruto parried the attack. At the withdrawal of the Genin's new weapon, Zabuza was caught off guard, but managed to dodge an attempted stab anyway.

"Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

_Please be fast... please be fast..._

"Huh?!" Zabuza frowned.

In an instant, three Narutos had attacked him.

"Try this one on for size!" They all screamed, thrusting their weapons forward.

Zabuza knocked away two of the clones, but the original managed to land a small cut on his hip. A brief shout of pain followed. Haku looked on, intrigued as he watched the blonde boy fight.

_He actually managed to land a hit on Zabuza-dono... This boy must be strong._

"H-H-Hey, brat!" Tazuna called out. "Where's your teammates?"

"They should be getting here soon!" Naruto yelled back. "Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

"The same attack won't work on me twice, you fool- ARGH!"

Naruto had a cheeky smile on his face as he flew past Zabuza. The muscled man was clutching his cheek. "Won't work on you twice, huh, eyebrow-less freak?" He challenged.

"I'll destroy you, brat!"

Haku was tempted to join the battle, but knew that Zabuza could handle the boy alone.

Naruto jumped out of the way quickly as Zabuza's sword came crashing down on the position he'd been standing on a moment ago. With a quick swipe of the Kubikiribocho, it was back on Naruto's tail in an instant.

The orange-wearing Genin blocked the sword with his katana, but was shocked as the weapon broke into two, demonstrating the amount of strength Zabuza was using.

As the sword swung towards his neck, Naruto felt himself blacking out.

* * *

"Huh?"

Naruto opened his eyes, surprised to find himself in a sewer of sorts.

The spiky-haired boy took in the surroundings. There was nothing around, but dull-colored walls and water sloshing away at his feet. To his surprise, the metal bars of a prison stood in front of him, and on the bars was a piece of paper with the kanji for 'Seal'.

"What is this place?"

His question was answered by an irritated growl. The figure of a giant creature appeared in front of him. Red eyes glared down at his small form. Taken aback, Naruto jumped.

Blue eyes met red ones, and a questioning glance was met with a growl.

"What business do you have with me, puny brat?" The creature demanded.

Naruto backed away fearfully. "Where... where am I? Am I dreaming?"

"Dreaming?" The red-eyed giant threw it's shadowy head back and roared with menacing laughter. "You're within your own body, brat!"

"My... own... body?" Naruto said quizzically, taking in the surroundings. "Why does my body look like a sewer? Why is there water everywhere? Does this mean my chakra nature is Water? Wow! No, wait, but Itachi-sensei said it was Wind."

"Silence!"

The creature's bellowing scared Naruto out of his skin.

"W-W-Why should I listen to you?" He shivered, trying to sound brave.

"I can kill you with the swipe of my hand, brat!" The giant creature stepped out of the shadows, revealing a face that told Naruto it was a fox. A gigantic fox. Naruto gasped, finally connecting the dots and realizing who this was.

"You're that demon!"

"I'm no demon, brat!" The fox roared. Then it's voice lowered. "Well... maybe... but my full name is the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the Kyuubi, and you shall address me as such! Not something as low-class as 'demon', you hear me, brat?"

Scared out of his wits, Naruto nodded quickly.

"Now, tell me. Why have you come here?" Kyuubi asked in a rude tone of voice.

"I don't know!"

The Nine-Tails glared angrily at his container.

_This kid is as dumb as his mother. _

Naruto watched on, confused, as the Fox closed his eyes.

"Eh, Fox! Ya sleeping?"

"No, brat! Shut up or I'll kill you!"

Receiving killer intent from his Tailed Beast again, Naruto stood at attention, mouth shut tight. Finally, Kyuubi's eyes opened, his expression changing to a look of unamusement.

"You're going to die, fool."

"Wha-?"

Naruto suddenly felt himself blacking out again.

* * *

Consciousness returned to the blonde, as the Jinchuriki felt his sight of the world returning to him. Unfortunately, Zabuza's sword was still just inches away from his throat.

"Naruto!" He heard Itachi scream a few meters away.

_This is it, _the Genin thought sadly. _I never got to become Hokage, and I never got to become anything further than a Genin. Naruto Uzumaki, the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja, killed in action on his first ever ninja mission. _

No sooner had he thought that, his arm moved. Naruto blinked as his arm moved with incredible speed, knocking away the sword. Zabuza stared on in disbelief as the Kubikiribocho went spinning into the air, before landing with a loud thud.

Naruto felt himself leaning back, and suddenly Zabuza was kicked backwards with sheer force.

_What? I-I didn't do that!_

He raised his arms to look at them, and was both surprised and fearful when he saw his entire body covered with red chakra. From within Naruto's body, the Kyuubi cursed his luck.

_It's the perfect moment to have some fun with this brat's body... but the damned seal still isn't weak enough! _Growling, the Demon Fox backed into his prison. _Maybe in a few months... Naruto Uzumaki._

To his relief, Naruto felt the red chakra disappearing.

Itachi and the rest of Team 7 stood beside Tazuna, shell-shocked, for individual reasons.

Sakura was shocked at Zabuza's almost-successful attempt to behead her teammate, while Sasuke was very surprised at his IQ-challenged teammate's ability to react fast enough for his life.

Itachi, however, knew what had truly happened. The Jonin frowned, but like Naruto, was extremely relieved to see the red chakra receding.

"You did well, Naruto," the Uchiha called out to his student. "I'll take it from here."

"I think it's time for me to join the battle, Zabuza-dono." Haku looked towards Zabuza with a questioning look. The swordsman stared back at him, before turning back towards Itachi's team and nodding, giving a certain command.

"Kill them all."

* * *

**Probably the shortest or the second shortest chapter so far. I'm sorry I couldn't provide a longer one but I like leaving chapters at the start of a battle/fight. In the next chapter, Team 7 combat the deadly duo of Zabuza and Haku. Until next time. :) **


	9. Fight: Battle on the Bridge

**To the anonymous reviewer known as 'lola' - I am going to write the story as the anime/manga pans out in canon, but adding twists and character changes to it. There are plenty of other stories like this and quite frankly I enjoy them so I've decided to write something similar on my own. I'm sorry if you feel it is a 'poor copy'. **

**I'm actually not sorry at all, but meh. **

**Thanks to _The True Not Important_ for the review!**

* * *

"Oh yeah? You wanna join the battle now?" Naruto smirked. "Who cares?! It's four against two!"

Itachi frowned. _Somehow, I can tell... that boy... he's no ordinary kid. We'll need to watch out for him._

"Stay back, team," he commanded. "I'll take care of the both of them. If I can't handle them, then you guys join in."

"No way!" Naruto and Sasuke yelled together.

"I'm afraid you won't have a chance to do that, Itachi." Zabuza now had his eyes closed. "Your opponent is me, and me alone... Heh heh... Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu."

Itachi couldn't see anything either. He cursed.

_No one can see in this mist... not even the caster of the jutsu. He wants to render my Sharingan ineffective, but this'll blind him too._

"I know what you're thinking."

Itachi swerved back and brought out his katana in time to block a swing of Zabuza's sword.

"You know that I know this mist will blind the Sharingan," the deep voice of Zabuza sent a chill down Itachi's spine. "But I'll get blinded as well. You're curious as to how I will battle while blinded in the mist."

Throwing his leg back, Itachi only found himself kicking air.

"Sight is only one of the senses we have," Zabuza continued. "Smell. Touch. Hearing. Taste."

_I see... he trained himself to fight without the use of his eyes, _the Uchiha thought. _This could be a little troublesome..._

* * *

"That's some super thick mist!" Tazuna commented.

Team 7 and their client were outside of the mist, but they knew Itachi and Zabuza were fighting it out in there.

Suddenly, the 'hunter-nin' appeared in front of them, and both Naruto and Sasuke got into fighting stances.

"Don't come any closer," Sasuke warned.

Haku smiled beneath his mask. "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to fight. The two of you are interesting ones, and it'll be nice to see what you can do."

"Hey! Team 7 isn't only made of two Genin!" Sakura retorted from behind Naruto and Sasuke. She dropped into a fighting stance. "I... I haven't been in a real ninja battle before. But I'm not afraid of you!"

"Hm?" Haku said in an amused tone.

"Sakura! Your job is to protect Tazuna-san!" Sasuke told his pink-haired teammate quickly. "Step back. We'll take care of this guy. But if we can't handle him, you join in. Okay?"

The pinkette frowned, but nodded. "You got it, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura stepped back, getting in front of Tazuna protectively.

"Well, bring it on!" Naruto yelled at Haku.

"Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

Mirrors made of ice began to appear around the male Genins of Team 7. Sasuke gulped, as he saw images of Haku in all of them. Naruto looked around, his face one of irritation.

"What kind of stupid jutsu is this?" The blonde yelled. "Secret Jutsu! Ha! I'll take you down! Easily!"

"Don't underestimate the opponent, Naruto," Sasuke warned his teammate. _These mirrors appear to be made of ice... I'll melt them all. _"Take this! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The Uchiha's fireball burned half of the mirrors, but to the Leaf ninjas' surprise, the ice mirrors stood steadily.

"These aren't just random mirrors," said Haku. "You can't melt them."

Sasuke glared at one of the Haku images. "So this is the power of a Kekkei Genkai that I always hear about..."

"Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto quizzed. "What does that mean, Sasuke?"

After giving a long and detailed explanation about the Kekkei Genkai, Sasuke got ready to return to the battle. He was surprised to see Haku waiting for him to finish his explanation to Naruto oh-so-kindly.

_These aren't clones... they're the enemy himself, going speedily through every single one of them so I'm seeing double! _The Uchiha Genin realized. _Well, not exactly double... _He looked around at the army of mirrors. _What incredible speed... I have to focus... focus... _

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

An army of Naruto clones prepared to attack the mirrors, with one clone taking care of one mirror. Unfortunately, nothing happened. The mirrors were unbreakable. Finally, the original Naruto fell back onto the ground, feeling a tad bit exhausted.

The blonde got back up. Failure and giving up wasn't in his dictionary!

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He repeated.

Another fifty Naruto clones jumped at the mirrors.

"It's useless," came the voice of Haku. "You are better off conserving your chakra and not wasting it like that. At the rate you're going... you'll faint from chakra exhaustion."

The clones dispersed again, and Naruto fell back onto the ground once more, panting hard.

Meanwhile, his Uchiha teammate was studying the movements of the Ice user.

_Focus... focus... and..._

Sasuke closed his eyes. When they flew open, his black pupils had become red.

"That... the Sharingan..." Haku spoke.

_What? Have I... have I... awakened my Sharingan? __No... now's not the time for that..._

Sasuke jumped towards a particular mirror, dishing out a punch to an image of Haku. To his surprise, the masked boy fell out of the mirror, thrown to the ground from the force of the attack.

_I got him... thanks to my newly-enhanced vision._

Unfortunately, Haku soon recovered, and was back in his mirror army. Sasuke cursed.

_I will just have to keep hitting him... again and again, until he finally gets exhausted and releases this jutsu of his. _

"The Sharingan is incredible," Haku commented.

"It certainly is," Sasuke couldn't help but reply proudly.

"With you, Sharingan and all, I'll only be at a disadvantage if I carry this battle on for too long... I'll be forced to attack now. Apologies."

"Wh-What?"

His reply was an entire army of needles, flying towards Naruto who appeared to be unconscious. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke charged towards his friend.

_I have to get there in time! _

* * *

"You know... I didn't become a captain in the ANBU because of my eyes."

Itachi expertly blocked another swipe of the Kubikiribocho with his katana.

"You are an annoying man... I expected your head to be gone already."

The Jonin ducked as Zabuza's sword swung above his head. Regarding the position where the sword had come from, Itachi quickly formed hand signs. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Graaaa!"

Zabuza fell backwards, his arm burned. _He's fast!_

Itachi smirked, feeling the mist weakening. Making out the figure of Zabuza, he jumped towards the missing-nin and launched an uppercut that sent the swordsman into the air.

"Bah... just an uppercut..." Zabuza muttered, feeling himself fly into the air.

"I think not." Itachi fastened his hands around his opponent's ankles. Zabuza wanted to look down, but decided not to take any risk of staring Itachi straight in the eye.

"What are you doing?" The former Mist ninja growled out, as he felt Itachi turn his body upside down in the space of a second.

"Showing you that the Mangekyo Sharingan isn't my only way of dishing out pain," the Uchiha calmly replied. Gripping tightly onto Zabuza's ankles, Itachi wrapped his legs around the muscled man's body. "Falcon Drop."

"Argh!"

Zabuza's head slammed onto the ground.

"You... you... you fucker..." He barely managed to say. Pain shot through his skull.

"Now it's time for you to die," Itachi replied coldly. Raising his knee, the former ANBU man kicked Zabuza right in the chin, sending the Demon flying backwards, over the bridge, and into the ocean.

Zabuza soon rose to the surface. He still felt a little dazed.

"You think you can drown me? Ha."

"Nope," replied Itachi. "Water Clone Jutsu."

A water clone of himself appeared beside Itachi. Zabuza frowned, unsure of what his Konoha opponent would try to do. For some reason, he didn't think this would be any fun for him.

This time, the water clone performed hand seals.

"Water Prison Jutsu."

Eyes widening, Zabuza cursed, trying to swim away frantically. However, he soon found himself encased in a sphere of water. Growling in frustration, he roared at Itachi to release him.

The clone simply stared at him, while the original Itachi was seemingly preparing a jutsu behind his clone.

"Your future is death. Do you have any last words?"

"Fuck you."

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes, feeling a little drowsy. He turned to see the form of Haku lying on the ground. Excitedly, the blonde turned his head again, expecting to see Sasuke, staring at their opponent victoriously.

To his shock, Sasuke had dozens of needles in his body. The Uchiha boy coughed out blood. Looking back towards Naruto, he gave a weak smirk.

"What... are you... looking at...? ... Loser..."

Sasuke collapsed.

"No!" Naruto shrieked, as the body of Sasuke Uchiha fell into his arms.

"Dying... on my... first mission... pathetic... huh..."

"You are not dying Sasuke!" Naruto said fiercely.

"I am... you... loser..." He coughed out more blood.

"He's going to die." The voice of Haku alerted Naruto. The masked boy had gotten back up, looking ready to take another life. Naruto let out a low growl as he set down the now unmoving body of his teammate.

"You... you... little piece of shit..."

Red chakra enveloped Naruto as he looked up at Haku with murderous red eyes. The killing intent made Haku back away.

"I'll kill you!" He roared, leaping towards the Ice user.

From within the Jinchuriki was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, resting lazily behind his prison. To his delight, the Kyuubi felt the seal weakening, as a result of his foolish container's emotions.

"I said in a few months... but it seems you are eager to meet me again... Naruto Uzumaki..." Kyuubi chuckled to himself.

Back in the outside world, Haku could only stare as he watched Naruto descending upon him. The killing intent from Naruto rooted his feet to the ground, and Haku could only prepare for an onslaught of punches.

And the onslaught came.

Naruto's first punch was strong enough to shatter Haku's mask. The second one slammed into his chest, sending the robed boy crashing into one of the ice mirrors.

Still growling menacingly, Naruto picked Haku up, pressed the masked boy's body against a mirror, and launched another power-packed fist. Haku shrieked in pain as he crashed through the mirror.

_He... he... he was strong enough to break one of my mirrors... What is he? _Haku questioned himself. His eyes widened when he saw the red chakra enveloping the blonde growing into a tail at his bottom.

"Graaargh..."

_He isn't human... _Haku shuddered, throwing more needles. Naruto didn't make any attempt to dodge, and instead, the needles burned out upon coming into contact with the red chakra.

"Why did you have to kill Sasuke?" Naruto growled. "Why?!"

"This is the life of a shinobi," replied Haku, trembling.

"Bullshit!"

Naruto leaped towards Haku again, knocking him to the ground and proceeding to pummel him with an array of punches and kicks.

_Is this the end, Zabuza-dono?_

"Yes..." Haku murmured, as he felt blood running down his mouth. "... Kill me..."

A fist moving towards Haku's face suddenly stopped.

"Kill me..." He repeated. "... Zabuza-dono... he has no use for weak tools like me."

"Tool?"

"That's what every ninja is... isn't it?" Haku breathed. "A tool... I am a tool for Zabuza-dono. I live to serve Zabuza-dono. He has no use for weak tools, and since he has no use for me, I have no purpose to live on anymore."

"Wh-What?!" Naruto yelled. The tail on his bottom was getting shorter and shorter. "No way! That's... horrible!"

"What is?" Haku frowned, pain all over his entire body.

"Why... do you live as a tool? Ninja aren't just tools! They are humans!" Naruto reasoned. "Is there... is there really no purpose in life other than serving the eyebrow-less freak?"

Haku chuckled softly in amusement at Naruto's nickname for his master. "Tell me... if you have no friends... no family... nothing... and someone acknowledges you... won't you do anything for that person?"

The red chakra was slowly disappearing, as a name flashed through the Leaf Genin's mind. _Iruka-sensei..._

"Y-Yeah... but...!"

"Exactly." Haku had a small smile on his face. "Zabuza-dono... I lived on the streets... he offered to take me in... I know he's after my ability, and not me. But since this is so, I must use my ability to serve him with all I can."

"That's...!" Naruto was at a loss for words.

By now, the reddish chakra had all but disappeared from his body.

Haku's expression turned serious. He got up, and walked half a meter away from Naruto. "Naruto... kill me."

"Is there... is there really no purpose in life for you to live on anymore?"

"No," said Haku, without hesitation. "Kill me... I killed your teammate... your friend... come on... why are you hesitating?"

"If you..." Naruto sighed, taking out a kunai. "... say so."

Gulping, the Kyuubi container steadied himself, preparing for his first kill.

"The weird thing is... I think if we met at a different time and place... we could have been friends..."

Haku's eyes then widened. Naruto frowned at him with a quizzical look.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. Change of plan. I'm not ready to die quite yet."

Naruto frowned, and got into a battle stance. "Was that a trap to throw me off?!"

"No... not quite..."

With those words, Haku disappeared.

* * *

"Fuck you."

"No? Okay." Itachi sighed. "I'm actually glad there's this fog... I don't want any of my students seeing this." His eyes glinted. "Your remains will probably make them throw up."

Zabuza felt intense fear pricking his body.

"Mangekyo Sharingan!" The powerful dojutsu activated in the Uchiha prodigy's eyes. "Now..." Itachi stepped back, until he was two meters away from his target. "Let's get this over with."

"What... are you going to do?" Zabuza asked.

"This." Itachi formed a hand seal. "Amaterasu!"

Black flames shot out from Itachi's eye, roaming towards the trapped Zabuza.

Suddenly, Haku appeared, taking the full blow of the attack.

Itachi's red eyes widened. Haku had a small smile on his face as he succumbed to the pain, burned alive by the black flames.

_I died for a cause... thank you... Zabuza-dono..._

"Damn it..." The wielder of the technique cancelled it. "That was the masked boy tagging along with Zabuza, huh... he jumped right in front of the flames..."

"My future is death?" Zabuza started to laugh manically as Haku's charred body fell to the ground. "Wrong, Itachi."

"Argh..." Itachi clutched onto his eye, which was now bleeding profusely, and he quickly deactivated the Mangekyo. The water clone holding Zabuza prisoner also disappeared, freeing the swordsman.

"I knew I picked up a treasure when I found you, Haku," Zabuza had an evil grin behind his mask. Swinging the Kubikiribocho, he aimed at Itachi's head, and the Jonin barely managed to dodge.

_Using Amaterasu... weakens my sight for awhile... I thought I could have killed him with this final move... but...!_

Naruto then wandered into the battle. Eyes darting from the body of Haku, Zabuza and Itachi, he understood what had happened.

"You did well, Haku!" Zabuza continued to yell in his deadly voice. "Hahahaha!"

"He died protecting your worthless life..." Naruto said angrily. "Why?"

"That's what weapons are for, brat!" Zabuza sneered, turning to Naruto. "He was my weapon, and he did his job effectively by defending his master!"

Angered, Naruto whipped out his katana.

"No, Naruto," Itachi warned. "Stay out of this."

"Like hell I will!" Naruto replied defiantly.

Sighing, Itachi walked over to Haku's body. His eyes were still wide open. Placing his gloved hand on the Ice user's eyes, Itachi closed them, before getting up to face Zabuza.

Jabbing a finger at the Jonin-level rogue, Itachi cast his illusion.

Zabuza frowned, as darkness enveloped him. The next second, incredible pain shot through both his arms.

The illusion ended, and Zabuza's eyes widened as he saw Naruto's katana stabbing into his arm.

"Genjutsu aren't only for messing with the victim's mind," said Itachi. "They are also useful for paralyzing a target so they'll be a sitting duck for an attack, you know?"

"Why didn't you just stab me in a vital area instead of my arms?" Zabuza questioned.

"I want you to know when you're on the verge of death," was the cold reply. "Both your arms are useless now and you can't form any hand seals. You can't wield your sword. It's over."

"Is it?" The missing-nin chuckled, though on the inside, he knew Itachi was right.

"Even if I have to kill you over and over again... I will." Itachi whipped out a kunai, intending to stab the short weapon into Zabuza's skull. Naruto watched from a distance, but turned away at the last moment.

He expected to hear a sickening, scrunching sound, but instead when he opened his eyes, Itachi and Zabuza both had their heads turned.

A short man, accompanied by an army of tough-looking men, had arrived at the bridge. Itachi's eyes hardened.

"Gato..."

* * *

**Finally a wrap. I didn't do so well with this chapter and that's probably because the Land of Waves was one of my least favorite arcs... **

**In the next chapter, Sasuke is revived and Team 7 finally completes their first 'C-Rank'. Stay tuned. **


	10. Conclusion: Mission Complete

**I certainly got some... interesting reviews for the last chapter.**

**A huge shout out to _The True Not Important_ who has been reviewing every chapter since I started this story. It's people like this that inspire me to keep updating the story. :) **

**Thanks to ****_Breebree811, The True Not Important _and _TheOrangeStar802_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"What... what happened...?"

Sasuke sat up to see a mess of pink hair and a head resting on his stomach. Sakura was bawling her eyes out, and Tazuna stood behind her, looking grimly down on the both of them.

The bridge builder looked incredibly surprised to see Sasuke awake.

"What happened?" The Uchiha repeated drowsily.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped. "You're alive!" She wrapped the boy into a hug.

Sasuke blushed, not used to such close contact with a female that wasn't his relative. But then he recalled what Haku had done to him. The needles...

"I'm not... dead...?" He asked himself lamely.

"Of course you aren't, you silly..." Sakura continued crying, now hugging him tighter. Unsure of what to do, Sasuke simply nodded slowly.

Tazuna helped the injured ninja up, and the three walked back towards Itachi. Sasuke gasped as he saw the remains of an unrecognizable body, charred and burned.

_That's big brother's Amaterasu! Is that... Zabuza? _Sasuke stared hard at the remains. _No... Haku?_

He frowned as he thought of the Ice Style user that'd put him into momentary death.

_He did it on purpose... he had so much power, so much skill, but he didn't want to kill me... what a guy..._

Sasuke's eyes widened as he took in the sight of more bodies. Itachi and Naruto were both standing a distance away, watching the carnage. Zabuza had a kunai in his mouth and was stabbing an army of rogues with ease.

"What... happened?" He started in surprise, as Zabuza finally beheaded Gato. The short man's head rolled onto the ground.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "You're... you're alive!" The blonde did a little dance happily, causing Sakura to shoot him a weird look.

"Of course I am," the Uchiha Genin replied, frowning.

Team 7 and Tazuna walked up to Zabuza, and Sasuke did not fail to notice another crowd of Wave countrymen, standing opposite the now deceased rogues carrying weapons of their own. Leading them was the young boy Naruto failed to get along with. Inari, his name was.

_What exactly happened here? _Sasuke thought.

Zabuza had seemingly collapsed from exhaustion. The missing-nin glanced up at Team 7.

"Hey... Itachi..." He panted. "Can you... can you take me over... to... him?"

"Sure," Itachi nodded, a sad smile on his face. Carrying his former opponent up, the Jonin walked over to the burnt remains of Haku, and set the dying swordsman down.

_So those remains... they are that masked boy... _Sasuke nodded, understanding.

Snow started falling, and Zabuza looked up into the sky, his face one of surprise.

"Snow... are you crying, Haku?" He mused. "You were... always by my side... I'd like to be by your side... at the end..." Zabuza looked towards the black remains. "If I could... I'd like to... go to the same place as you..."

Looking up at Itachi and Team 7, the former Kiri man gave a small genuine smile.

"Itachi... I don't know what I'm... thanking you for... but... thank you..."

Itachi simply nodded, smiling.

"And you... the blonde brat..."

Naruto's attention was instantly on Zabuza, a questioning gaze in his eyes.

"You're going to be one big shot someday... I just know it... the Hokage... is definitely... an achievable aim... for you... Naruto..."

Tears leaked out of Naruto's eyes, but he quickly wiped them away.

_Zabuza... _Itachi looked down at the dying man. _I'm sure... you can go to the same place as Haku._

With those last words, Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, was no more.

* * *

"Eh... Itachi-sensei."

"Hm?"

Itachi turned towards Naruto.

Team 7 were at Zabuza and Haku's graves. The two former ninja were buried near the sea, overlooking the completed bridge.

"Were those two correct about ninjas?" Naruto looked down towards the grass in a depressing manner. "About how a shinobi isn't supposed to pursue his own goals, and that becoming the country's tool was the most important? Is that what it really means to become a true ninja?"

Itachi eyed his student. "In a way, yeah..."

"You know what?" Naruto frowned. "I don't like it!" He grinned, a light bulb flicking on in his head. "Okay, I've just decided! I'm going to be a ninja in my own way!"

"I think that applies to all of us here, Naruto," Sasuke chuckled, throwing a pebble into the sea.

"Yeah!" Sakura added with a bright smile.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at his team's exchange, before looking away and smiling a small smile of his own.

* * *

Tazuna, his family, and the locals of Wave were all there to see off Team 7. The Konoha ninjas were ready to set off home.

"Thanks to you, we've completed the bridge!" Tazuna grinned at the shinobi in front of him, shooting them a thumbs-up. "But... this is kind of sad, eh?"

"Don't worry!" Naruto winked. "We'll come to visit!"

Inari sniffled. "You'd better..."

Naruto sniffled. "Inari... you're sad right? It's alright to cry!"

"I'm not going to cry!" The child yelled. "But Naruto, you can cry too!"

The Leaf Genin whipped around. "Fine..."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, inspecting both Naruto's face and Inari's. They were crying buckets. The pinkette rolled her eyes, thinking to herself. _Jeez... they're like twins..._

"Well... later!" Naruto yelled, not looking back.

"Goodbye, and thank you for everything," Itachi nodded, and followed after his student.

"Yeah, see ya!" Sasuke waved.

The people of Wave shouted goodbye to their benefactors, all waving with excitement in the air.

"That boy..." Tazuna stared at Naruto's back. "That boy changed Inari's heart, and Inari in turn changed the people's hearts."

"We still need to name the bridge!" Tsunami piped up.

"Oh yeah... that." Tazuna grinned, looking into the sky while patting the head of Inari. "I have a perfect name for it..."

"What is it?"

"Heh heh... The Great Naruto Bridge."

"That's a good name..." Tsunami smiled.

"This name is in the hope that this bridge will never crumble... and one day, become a famous bridge whose name is known throughout the world... as well as the boy it's named after."

* * *

**That was a painfully short chapter, but I just wanted to write this up to conclude the Land of Waves arc. The ending of it was sad but it remains one of my least favorite arcs. I'm thrilled that we've now moved on to the Chunin Exams, something I think I'll enjoy writing. Well, until next time. **


	11. Arrival: Ninja from the Sand

**Guest pointed out an annoying mistake I made the last chapter. This is my first multi-chaptered Naruto story, and the first Naruto story I'm actually taking seriously, so I can make a few mistakes here and there. Sorry!**

**Gaara is a tad bit different in my story.**

**Thanks to _TheOrangeStar802, Akatsuki no Kyara, Guest _and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital, Naruto?" Sakura asked in concern.

"Nah, I'm fine!" Naruto shot his pink-haired teammate a wide grin, causing her to shake her head.

"I think you should, you know," Sasuke piped up. "You... walked straight into a mine field after all." The Uchiha tried hard to resist his laughter, purely because he had been laughing his ass off when it had happened and he didn't want to do so a second time, because he was polite.

The three had gone on a flurry of D-Rank missions. Their teamwork had seemingly soared after the mission in the Land of Waves, but Itachi had decided to call it a day after a dog-walking mission had resulted in Naruto walking his dog into a mine field.

Unbeknownst to any of them, however, the Kyuubi was already healing his wounds.

With the day over and his little frog wallet Gama-chan filled with money from the missions, Naruto had offered to treat his teammates to ramen. Sakura was obviously hesitant over the idea of an 'almost-date' with her blonde friend, but when Sasuke agreed to go, Sakura of course had to accept as well.

"I don't need to!" Naruto shook his head firmly. "I hate the hospital."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just hate it."

Sasuke shrugged, as Team 7 entered Ichiraku Ramen.

"Hello, Naruto!" The booming voice of Teuchi came. "Oh, you've brought friends! Now, what can I get for all of you?"

"Hey, old man!" Naruto grinned broadly. "Miso ramen, please!"

"Uh..." Sakura thought for awhile. "Diet ramen."

"Pork ramen!" Sasuke grinned at Teuchi. Then he looked over at Naruto. "Eh, do they sell rice balls here?"

Naruto stared at Sasuke. "Rice balls? Do you think they would sell rice balls at Ichiraku Ramen?" He emphasized on the 'ramen' part. Sasuke looked away sheepishly.

* * *

The guard yawned, reading over a copy of Icha Icha. He wasn't a fan of the series, but manning the gates of the village could get boring. Icha Icha helped him survive the long day.

He yawned again, wondering why he was a Chunin, yet doing stupid duties like guarding the gates.

The Leaf ninja looked up from his book, to see four figures entering the gates. Immediately alert, he was about to call out to them, but apparently he didn't need to. The four walked over to him, and the guard relaxed immediately after he saw they were ninja from the Sand.

"Here for the Chunin Exams, I presume?" He grinned. "You're here early."

"We are?" The one with the black hood and weird purple face-paint scowled. "Gaara..."

The one known as Gaara had a small smile on his face. "I, uh... may have lied about the 'we are just on time' part. You know, I like to be early, Kankuro."

Kankuro shook his head disapprovingly.

"Stop whining, Kankuro," the only female of the team snapped, before presenting documents. "Here."

"Ah, yeah. The Chunin Exam documents," the guard nodded. "Thanks." He kept the papers, before gesturing to his left. "Enjoy your time in Konohagakure, sirs and madam."

"He called you madam, Temari," Kankuro snickered.

"Shut up," Temari shook her head.

"Thank you," the tallest and oldest of the four spoke up politely. Probably their Jonin sensei, the Leaf guard thought.

As they walked into the village, the guard watched their retreating backs, and adjusted his forehead protector, his expression one of amusement. _What an interesting bunch... _

"So are we checking into the biggest hotel?" Kankuro grinned.

"No, Kankuro. We are not here to play."

"I know, Baki-sensei," the hooded Genin frowned. "But it won't hurt to enjoy yourself for a bit. I heard the Hidden Leaf has some awesome hot springs!"

Baki frowned, but said nothing. "Kazekage-sama has already got a hotel booked for us."

"Always one step ahead," Temari noted, as the four continued walking through the streets. She stopped at a particular shop, and gestured for her team to go ahead. The blonde kunoichi stepped into the shop excitedly, her eyes glued to the chestnuts on display.

She loved chestnuts.

Although Temari wasn't sure how the chestnuts in Konoha tasted like, she was sure they were just as good. Like a happy child, the fan-wielding teen bounded over to the cashier.

"I want the chestnuts!" She grinned.

The cashier was taken aback by his customer's enthusiasm. "Uh, they've been taken by that boy over there."

Temari frowned, following the cashier's gesture to a boy staring right back at her.

"Eh, could you move to the side, woman?" The pineapple-headed boy fixed her with a lazy stare. "Need to collect my stuff."

"Hell no! These chestnuts are mine!" Temari yelled.

"Yours?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "I got my eye on them first."

"Well... I bet I love them more than you do!" The blonde argued.

"Probably," the Nara nodded absentmindedly. "Would you mind moving to the side now? As I said, I need to collect my stuff. The chestnuts."

Temari glared at this Leaf ninja with a hateful look as he took the packet of oh-so-tasty-looking chestnuts. As she turned around and got ready to sulk her way back to her team, a hand placed itself on her shoulder.

"What?!" She snapped, turning around.

Shikamaru stared at her with his usual lazy expression, unfazed by her sudden yell. He used his hands to raise Temari's hand, and just as she was about to pull away, Shikamaru placed the packet of chestnuts in her hand.

Temari raised an eyebrow, but before she could say anything, Shikamaru turned and walked away, hands in pockets.

A hint of a smile broke onto her lips. "Thaaaaaaanks!" She yelled, waving the chestnuts in the air, before rushing back to join her team. Shikamaru continued walking, a similar smile on his face.

Then he recalled something. That headband around her neck.

_What's a Suna kunoichi doing around here?_ He asked himself, before shrugging.

Temari finally caught up with her brothers and Baki. She took in the scene of Kankuro holding a little kid up, with three Leaf ninja glaring at him with expressions of anger and annoyance.

She examined each one of them. The first one was the hottie. His hair was gorgeous, his face was gorgeous and Temari almost thought he looked a little too perfect.

The next boy, an orange-wearing guy who had the same hair color as her, albeit lighter. Their female companion was a pink-haired civilian-looking shinobi, and Temari only noticed she was a ninja via her headband.

A ninja with pink hair? Seriously?

"Let Konohamaru down!" Naruto shrieked at Kankuro.

"And what if I don't?" Kankuro sneered right back. "I hate little kids like this. Always running around and getting themselves into trouble. I'll kill you." His eyes narrowed at the frightened Konohamaru.

"Kankuro..." Baki warned.

"Kankuro," Gaara shook his head disapprovingly.

"Kill him, huh?" Naruto glared at the hooded teen. "Let's see what you can do!" He formed a hand seal.

"Wait, don't-" Sasuke started, but his teammate had already formed three clones. The four Narutos leaped at Kankuro, much to his surprise. Caught off-guard, the puppet user found himself being hit by two punches in the face and another two in the gut, sending him reeling back.

Konohamaru was released and the academy student ran to Sakura's side, where Moegi and Udon was.

"You little..." Kankuro growled. He started to unwrap the bundle on his back.

"Kankuro!" Baki roared a warning. The hooded Sand Genin relaxed, but kept his glare aimed firmly at Naruto.

"I am sorry for causing trouble," Gaara apologized to Team 7 and Konohamaru's gang.

"Why are you apologizing for, Gaara?" Kankuro said in irritation.

"Be quiet," Baki snapped.

"No worries," said Sasuke quickly, not wanting to get into a fight with foreign ninja. He didn't know anything of their ability, although his Uchiha mind was already laying out the answers. The one called Gaara fought with the gourd on his back, with whatever was in it. The blonde kunoichi who had just arrived probably fought with that heavy fan, while the hooded loudmouthed one used that mysterious bundle.

The oldest of the four didn't look too special, so Sasuke skipped his mental evaluation of him.

"We will be on our way now," Baki bowed apologetically, before leading his team past the six Leaf citizens. Kankuro growled at Naruto and Konohamaru as he walked past, and the orange-wearing Genin flipped him the bird, until Sakura pushed his hand down quickly.

* * *

"Orochimaru-sama."

When the owner of the voice heard no reply, he repeated himself.

"Um, Orochimaru-sama."

"Yes?" Another voice hissed from the darkness.

Kabuto Yakushi squinted to see his master's figure in the dark.

"All preparations are complete. The Sand team have moved into the Leaf."

"Excellent," Orochimaru nodded his approval. "Well, I believe it is also time for us to set off. You too, Kabuto."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto fixed a Konohagakure forehead protector onto his forehead. "If you don't mind me asking, Orochimaru-sama..." The two walked together out of the hideout.

"Yes?"

"Why go for the younger Uchiha... when you have Itachi?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "It seems you do not understand, Kabuto. Itachi is very much stronger than me, although that is... a little hard to believe, considering how I am... or was. Yes, was. Was part of the Sannin."

"Itachi Uchiha? Stronger than you?" Kabuto raised an eyebrow. He had never heard the snake-like man admit anyone was stronger than him before.

"Unfortunately," the missing-nin nodded. "So my next best plan is to get the younger one."

"Hm... the one called..." Kabuto started.

"Yes... Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

**Another painfully short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed this. In the next chapter, Team 7 enters their first ever Chunin Exams. Until then, toodles.**


	12. Youth: Green Bushy-Browed Beasts

**Nice to finally see a chapter without a review pointing out a mistake! **

**I simply like having no mistakes. It's not because I dislike people pointing out my mistakes :P **

**Thanks to _Charmed,_ _The True Not Important _and _princesspevensie_ for the**** reviews!**

* * *

"I've nominated you three for the Chunin Exams."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and happiness. Sasuke grinned. Sakura looked down nervously.

Itachi had explained to them what the Chunin Exams were earlier, and Team 7 were all surprised he'd nominated the three. Although delighted, Sasuke raised this question to his brother.

"We graduated from the academy only about a month or two ago... are you sure we're strong enough to be taking this Chunin Exams?"

"I have confidence in you," Itachi nodded. _Besides... the other two teams that were made Genin this year were also nominated. It would be kind of funny if I didn't nominate this team. _

"Yay!" Naruto cheered. "Itachi-sensei, I love you!" He jumped into the arms of the taller man. The former ANBU chuckled, and set the Genin down.

"Eh, it doesn't mean you're in," Itachi told his students. "I simply nominated you." The Uchiha man handed out three separate forms. "If you want in on this, you have to report back to the academy where you all were in before. Classroom 301. Tomorrow."

"301, huh? Got it!" Naruto grinned.

Sakura had a look of uncertainty on her face.

* * *

"Please let us through!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he walked towards Classroom 301, Naruto and Sakura tagging along behind him. A Genin with a green jumpsuit was getting pushed around by what seemed to be two fellow Genin.

A crowd of other Genin had gathered to watch the two ninja attack the green-clad boy.

"We're just thinning the numbers of weaklings for this exam," one of them declared. "This exam is not easy. Even we failed it three times. There's no way a bunch of weak kids like you can take this."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed. "You will let us through!" He insisted.

"And also, you will remove the genjutsu surrounding this area," Sasuke smirked.

"That's right," Sakura shook her head. "Because this is the second floor, and not the third."

"So... you noticed."

The sign '301' became '201' as the crowd of Genin gasped at the revelation. They had all been tricked!

"But that's probably the only thing you can do... noticing!"

One of the two Genin bullies, one with a bandage on his nose, leaped towards Sasuke. Naruto frowned, dubbing him Nose Guy.

Nose Guy was soon thrown back by Sasuke's kick.

"If you can't fight, don't try to start one," Sasuke taunted. Nose Guy growled intimidatingly, getting back up on his feet.

"Stop!" The green-clad kid from earlier jumped into the middle, stopping Nose Guy and Sasuke before they could do anything more. There was a harsh exchange, but soon Nose Guy and his friend retreated.

As soon as they were out of sight, Izumo and Kotetsu undid their Transformations.

"So those were Itachi and Guy's teams..." Kotetsu chuckled, one hand still clutched to his chest, the area he had been kicked.

"The Chunin Exams this year are going to be very interesting, huh, Kotetsu?" Izumo mused.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to fight me?"

Sasuke stared at Lee, who had gotten into a taijutsu stance he'd not seen before.

"Positive!"

Naruto and Sakura regarded the stranger, whom Naruto had dubbed 'Bushy Brows', with uncertainty.

"He's going to get slaughtered," the pinkette whispered. Her teammate nodded furiously in agreement. He had seen Sasuke in action all the time. There was no way some green-wearing bushy-browed kid could beat him up.

"Sharingan."

Sasuke activated his Kekkei Genkai, and smirked confidently at Lee, before charging.

His eyes widened as in a second, Lee was right behind him. Turning swiftly, Sasuke launched a kick, but Lee wasn't there.

_What?_

"Leaf Hurricane!"

The Sharingan wielder's body slammed onto the ground, and he let out a cry of pain. Sakura shook her head in disbelief, while Naruto ran up to his teammate, who now had several bruises.

Naruto helped Sasuke up, while looking towards Lee.

_Wow... Bushy Brows is fast!_

"Is that all you've got?"

Lee sounded like he was taunting, but his face remained passive. Growling, Sasuke shook Naruto off.

Before he could use a jutsu, however, Lee was below him. Sasuke felt himself being forcefully pushed into the air by a kick to his chin. Lee appeared behind him, and the two sailed in mid-air.

"What is this?" Sasuke demanded.

"Dancing Leaf Shadow..." Lee started unwrapping the bandages on his arms.

Sasuke gasped as he felt the bandages wrapping tightly around him.

"Primary Lo-!"

"That's enough, Lee!"

A purple-skinned tortoise appeared in front of the four Genin.

"Ah... Ningame-sensei!"

"What do you think you were doing?!"

Sasuke had been unwrapped, and the Uchiha landed softly on his feet. He still felt pain from the kicks of Lee's Leaf Hurricane, but shook it off easily. Naruto and Sakura ran up beside him.

"Is that... Bushy Brows' sensei?"

"You idiot, how can a tortoise be a sensei?" Sakura shook her head.

"But... he just called the tortoise Ningame-sensei!" Naruto argued.

There was a puff of smoke, and a ninja similar-looking to Lee appeared. Naruto gasped. He had bushier brows than Lee!

After a dramatic exchange as Sasuke twitched at how he had lost to a 'weirdo', the newcomer had introduced himself as Might Guy, Lee's Jonin sensei, although Naruto was content with calling him Bushier Brows Sensei.

"So you three are Itachi's students!" Guy grinned. "How has he been doing?"

Sakura cringed. This guy was way too enthusiastic.

"He's been, uh... fine," Sasuke struggled for an answer.

"That's great! He has been shining with the Flames of Youth!"

Team 7 decided to get away quickly from the weird bushy brows. Sakura stared up at a nearby clock and informed the team it was time to report for the test. Naruto grinned.

"Alright! Let's go!"

* * *

**Hopefully this is the last 'extremely short' chapter I can whip up. I think out of the 12 chapters in Team Itachi so far, this one has the less words (1,035, ouch). I'm not exactly the type of writer who likes to squeeze everything into one chapter, so, yeah. In the next chapter, the first test commences. Will my version of Naruto finally be able to think smarter to know the true purpose of the first test? :P See you all next time.**


	13. Chunin Exams: The Written Test

**Reading your story's 40th review with it telling you this piece of work has no point at all can be demoralizing, but meh. I know it's sticking too much to canon, but from now on I'll be trying to steer it away from canon as much as I can.**

**Thanks to _Charmed, princesspevensie, Akatsuki no Kyara, Guest_ and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

_Shit..._

Itachi heard footsteps.

No... it wasn't only one person. There were three. Three people...

This was bad.

The former ANBU quickly hid the item in his hands, but in his panic, it fell to the ground. Picking it up hastily, he got into an alert stance, wanting to see who it was coming round the corner...

"Itachi-sensei?"

_Oh no! Them!_

Itachi swiftly hid the item again, but Sakura leaped over and snatched it away. She frowned. Her sensei glanced at her nervously, but to his relief, her frown was one of curiosity.

"What is this? Icha Icha? Is it some kind of book series?"

"Of course! Haha!" Itachi snatched the book back, pocketing it. "It's a decent series. You should... uh... check it out sometime..." He laughed nervously.

Sasuke stared at Itachi's pocket suspiciously, where the book was kept. "What kind of book is that, brother?"

"Well, I can tell you for sure that it isn't any sort of indecent book!" Itachi grinned. _Damn. _

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here, Itachi-sensei?"

The Jonin's face turned serious. "I just came here because I wanted to know if Sakura was going to take the exam. So she did. That's great. Now all three of you can properly take this exam."

"What do you mean?"

"Eh..." Itachi smiled at his team. "The Chunin Exams can only be taken in a group of three."

"What?!"

"If I told you this..." Team 7's captain continued. "Naruto or Sasuke would have pressured Sakura into taking it even if you didn't want to."

Sakura gasped, realization hitting her.

"If only Naruto and Sasuke came..." Itachi gestured towards the door behind him leading into the classroom. "You guys wouldn't have made it past this door. But you three came here of your own free will. I'm proud."

Grins plastered the faces of the three Genin.

Stepping aside, the Uchiha pointed towards the door and smiled, nodding towards his team.

* * *

"Hm?"

Shikamaru Nara looked up.

"Eh? Shikamaru!" Naruto walked towards his friend from the academy. "You're here too!"

"Of course we are!" A blonde girl jumped onto Sasuke. Sakura had an angered expression on her face, and Sasuke had an embarrassed one. "Hehe... you're here for this exam too, Sasuke-kun?"

"Get your dirty hands off him, Ino pig!"

"Hello, Sakura." Ino smirked at her rival. "Big ugly forehead as usual."

Sakura growled.

"Calm down, girls," Sasuke said quickly. His inner pervert wanted Ino to stay right there, but his polite Uchiha personality took over, and Sasuke pushed his former classmate off.

"As you wish, Sasuke-kun," both girls said dreamily, then turning to glare at each other.

"Girls," Shikamaru sighed, with a dismissive wave, as Choji walked up to stand beside him, stuffing his face with chips.

"Choji, you're eating again," Naruto said disapprovingly.

Choji shrugged.

"So, Naruto, the three of you are taking this test as well?"

"Yup!"

Shikamaru grunted. "What a drag."

Kiba, Shino and Hinata walked into the scene.

"Rookies assemble," Kiba joked.

"Kiba! Shino! Hinata!"

"N-N-N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata smiled, poking her fingers together. Shino said nothing, simply nodding at his fellow rookies as a friendly gesture.

"Naruto," Sasuke warned, studying every Genin in the room. They all looked menacing. "If you're too loud, you're going to make everybody your enemy, and I don't think you would want that."

Naruto blinked, before laughing like a madman. He then jumped to the front of the room and pointed to every single Genin he could see.

"OI!"

Sakura's eyes widened. She pulled the orange-wearing boy back. _Naruto, what are you doing?!_

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! And there is no way I am going to lose to any of you!"

Sasuke's face paled. "Naruto, you damn idiot."

Kiba had a look of amusement on his face as Sakura stepped forward.

"Uh... sorry... this guy's an idiot!" She laughed nervously, pointing towards the blonde. All the Genin seemed to accept this fact and turned away, but there remained a few who glared hard at the rookies. If looks could kill, Naruto would've been slaughtered.

From his position in the corner, accompanied by his two teammates, Kabuto smirked, pushing his glasses up his nose. He took out a card.

"What are you doing, Kabuto?" Yoroi looked down towards the bespectacled teenager. When Kabuto didn't answer, the hooded man grunted and looked away.

Kabuto set his two cards on the ground, studying them.

One had the picture of a certain blonde spiky-haired Genin. Kabuto read through his nin-info card silently.

_Naruto Uzumaki. 12 years old. Mission history: D-Ranks - 28 completed. A-Rank - 1 complete. List of jutsu: Shadow Clones, Crescent Moon Dance... Ninjutsu skill: Above average. Taijutsu skill: Average. Genjutsu: The worst. Kenjutsu: Average. _

He then turned to his next card.

_Sasuke Uchiha. 12 years old. Mission history: D-Ranks - 28 completed. A-Rank - 1 complete. List of jutsu: Fireball, Phoenix Flower, possesses the Sharingan. Ninjutsu and taijutsu skill: Above average. Genjutsu: Below average. _

Before the silver-haired spy could walk over, a shout alerted him and he turned to see the apparent proctor of the exam.

_Well... I'll always get to see them again later._

* * *

Ibiki Morino appeared in a puff of smoke, along with an army of Chunin behind him, all smirking intimidatingly towards the Genin in the room.

"We will now start the first part of the Chunin Exams," Ibiki grinned maniacally, making a few of the Genin gulp. "There will be tags given out and based on your tags, you are to go to the designated seats." The scarred man then looked over to his army of Chunin, frowning. "Aren't there supposed to be sixteen examiners?"

"The last guy's probably late."

"For something like this? Jeez..."

"If I didn't know better I would have thought it would be Kakashi," Ibiki smirked.

Naruto picked out his tag and went to his seat. Papers were given out and the container felt a wave of uncertainty hit him. A written test!

Sasuke stared at his paper with interest. A written test. This probably wouldn't do Naruto any good.

Sakura picked up her pen, ready to begin.

"Listen up!" Ibiki got out a chalk and started scribbling words on the board. "Do not turn your tests over. I am now going to explain the rules of this test."

Sasuke squinted to get a good look as Ibiki finished with his writing of the first rule and proceeded to the second one. As he wrote, he spoke. "Questions will not be allowed after this, so you all better listen to this carefully."

_This guy scares me,_ Sakura thought.

"First rule." Ibiki gestured towards the board. "The test has ten questions and you start out with ten points. We do a point deduction system, so with each question you get wrong, you lose a point. There are only nine questions on the paper and the tenth question will be given when everyone finishes with their paper."

Murmurs filled the room at that statement.

_I hate this already, _Naruto sighed inwardly.

_At least I'm not in Naruto's shoes. He's probably going to fail this one,_ Sasuke shook his head in pity for his teammate.

_Naruto's probably going to fail this. It's a written test, after all, _Sakura's thoughts went to her blonde friend.

"Second rule." Ibiki started writing furiously. "This is a team test. Your team have a total of 30 points if you do the math, so of course, the team needs to have 15 points in total to pass."

Naruto tensed up.

Sasuke choked on his saliva.

Sakura started coughing wildly.

Ibiki smirked.

"The third rule. Anyone who is caught cheating during the exam will have two points subtracted for each offence. The Chunin examiners will be situated around the classroom and will catch anyone who's cheating."

_Cheating? _Sakura frowned. _Who would do that? These questions shouldn't be too hard._

"The final rule. If anybody in your team gets zero points, the team automatically fails together."

This time it was Sakura's turn to choke on her saliva. Naruto could feel an annoyed glare piercing into his back, and he shook it off nervously.

"The test will last an hour." Ibiki pointed towards the clock. "Begin!"

Sasuke turned to the front of the paper, and wrote his name down. He started studying the first question.

_Question One: You are a ninja on the way back to your village with an important package in your hands containing vital and confidential information to dealings between your village and it's allies. Three enemy ninja appear and corner you. In the space provided, draw up a battle strategy that will ensure the safety of yourself and the information._

The Uchiha frowned. _I... I can't answer this._ He looked over at the second question.

_Question Two: Write down Shinobi Rules 267 to 302, in order._

"Oh shit," Sasuke said under his breath. _I only remember about two or three of them! __A Genin shouldn't know how to answer these questions! _He looked over at the third question.

_Question Three: Write down the names of any three S-Class missing-nin._

"How would I know?!" Sasuke said under his breath again, his tone angrier. Jokingly, he wrote down in the first blank 'Itachi Uchiha', and in the second blank 'Ibiki', but quickly cancelled the second one after looking up at the examiner's intimidating look washing over all the Genin in the room.

_Wait... wait... What did I tell myself earlier? _

_A Genin shouldn't know how to answer these questions. Yes. _

_And what did the examiner say? 'Don't get caught cheating'. Caught._

_I've got it now!_

Sasuke looked towards Naruto who was nervously studying his own paper. _Naruto... Sakura... have you two gotten it? The key to this exam is to cheat! _

He activated his dojutsu. _Sharingan!_

Black pupils turned into red ones as Sasuke positioned a hand over his forehead to hide his Sharingan. _Let's see... uh... ah!_ Sasuke's Sharingan eyes peered into Sakura's paper, and he was genuinely shocked. His pink-haired teammate had answered eight of the questions, and by the looks of it, she wasn't cheating.

_Heh..._ Sasuke brought his pen up, and started on his paper. _I'm counting on your smarts, Sakura!_

Thirty minutes had passed and Naruto had gone through the entire paper, but still had no solutions to any of the questions.

_This is stupid! A normal Genin can't possibly answer these questions! Wait..._

Naruto almost let out a gasp but stopped himself. _Is the aim of this test... to cheat? _He looked over towards Hinata beside him, and tried his best to look at her first answer.

"Number 38, fail! Number 132 and 169, fail!"

The blonde Jinchuriki's eyes widened and he looked at the number on his seat. 59. Whew. Safe, for now.

_I get it... I have to cheat... but I can't be obvious!_

Stuffing his hands under the table, Naruto did his signature hand seal. _Shadow Clone Jutsu._

A Naruto clone appeared underneath the table, his legs brushing against the feet of Hinata. The Byakugan wielder jumped, looking under. Naruto tensed, but relaxed when she smiled at him, nodding in understanding and saying nothing.

_You know what you have to do, clone!_ Naruto thought.

The clone crawled stealthily under the table, narrowly avoiding the legs of a few other Genin. If any of them looked under the table, he would be dead. Thankfully, they were all too focused on their own papers.

Getting to the end of the table, the clone crawled out and before any of the examiners could spot him, swiftly used the Transformation Jutsu.

Now he looked like a brown-haired, normal-looking man in the same attire of the other examiners.

Naruto looked on as his clone walked towards Ibiki. _Thank the good lords I overheard them saying something about missing one examiner. Hopefully they didn't know this examiner's appearance or anything. If they do, I'm screwed.__  
_

"You're the last examiner? You're late."

"Yes, yes, I know," the clone smiled. "I, um, had to help my grandmother with grocery shopping."

Ibiki stared at the examiner with a look of disapproval on his face, but handed him a sheet of paper. "Here, you write the names of the ones you see cheating. I trust you know the rules of the exam."

Naruto's clone nodded, his smile never leaving his face.

"And here is the answer sheet for the exam, just for reference."

Naruto's clone nodded again, his smile growing wider. He walked towards an empty seat next to another examiner. Carefully, he looked over the answers quickly and steadily.

The original Naruto smirked, praising himself for such a well-thought move. _Bingo!_

Meanwhile, the clone looked at the answers over and over again. When he was sure that he'd memorized it, he grinned and set the paper down. Ibiki raised an eyebrow as he saw the 'examiner' stand up.

"Hahaha!" The 'examiner' grinned broadly and pointed at Ibiki. "You fell for it! Moron!"

With that, said 'examiner' dispersed, revealing it's identity as a clone.

Ibiki had to mask an amused smile. "If I find out which one of you was that, you're dead. You got that?"

A feeling of dread washed over everyone in the room.

"I'll have to check out who in this room can use clones after this test." He continued.

Naruto started panicking, but decided that out of the hundred Genin in this room, it wasn't possible only one knew how to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Sasuke chuckled softly, watching the whole situation unfold. _That had to be Naruto... Naruto, you genius. _He watched as his teammate started scribbling down on his paper confidently. _Yup. That had to be Naruto._

* * *

"And... pens down!"

Ibiki's sudden roar frightened half the room, but everyone calmed down considerably as the bandanna-wearing proctor pointed to the clock, indicating the one hour was over. Naruto sat back, satisfied. All nine questions were answered.

Sasuke was also satisfied, as he deactivated the Sharingan. Copying from Sakura proved to be a success. His female teammate had written down detailed answers for every question.

Kankuro took this time to walk into the room, done with his business in the toilet. An examiner walked along beside him.

"Was your doll-playing useful?" Ibiki had a crazy grin on his face as he looked towards Kankuro.

Naruto saw the hooded Sand Genin's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates for some reason. Shrugging, he turned back towards Ibiki, prepared to hear the tenth question.

"Listen up, everyone," Ibiki ordered. "Let me tell all of you the rules of the tenth question."

"More rules?" Naruto whined.

"Shut up, brat. Now, where were we? Oh yeah, the tenth question. It's like this. For the tenth question, you must choose whether you want to take it or not. Yeah, choose."

"Choose?"

Shikamaru turned to see who had spoken, and raised an eyebrow when he saw Temari. _It's chestnut girl... So I was right. She is here for the Chunin Exams._

"If you choose not to, your points will instantly be reduced to zero, and you will fail this test, along with your two teammates."

"Ha!" Naruto laughed. "Then of course, everyone's going to choose to take it!"

"Well... Maybe," Ibiki smirked. He then dropped the bomb. "If you choose to take it and answer the question incorrectly... that person will lose the right to take part in the Chunin Exams. Ever. Again."

Sounds of loud gasping and cries of "not fair" instantly filled Ibiki's ears.

_How are we supposed to choose? It's a die or die situation!_ Sakura thought, frowning.

"Those who wish to leave and try again next year... please raise your hand."

An awkward few seconds passed, and finally, the first hand shot up.

"Number 79, fail! Number 12 and Number 121, fail!"

"Number 149, fail! Number 22 and Number 3, fail!"

"Number 69, fail! Number 11 and Number 99, fail!"

_I'm sure I can answer this question..._ Sakura stared at all the Genin raising their hands. _But... Naruto. You... _She stared at her teammate, who seemed to be looking up towards the ceiling in thought.

_Naruto... there's no way you can answer this question... Are you just taking this question to ensure me and Sasuke-kun don't fail? _

_Hokage, Hokage... you're always going on about becoming the Hokage... you're a dumb ass... all you think about is becoming the Hokage..._ A smile crept onto her face. _Naruto... this impossible dream of yours... I want to protect it. _

The pinkette started to raise her hand, but stopped in shock as she saw Naruto raise his.

Naruto Uzumaki, giving up?

A look of pure surprise was registered on every single one of the Leaf rookies' faces, including Shino's.

The number one unpredictable ninja was giving up.

Or not.

"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto's hand slammed onto the table. "I don't care if I'm a Genin forever! Even if I'm a Genin forever, I will still become the Hokage! Heck, I'll be the first Hokage to be given the rank of Kage as a Genin! Bring on this stupid tenth question! I'm not afraid!"

_Naruto... you..._ Sakura smiled again, her hand sinking.

Ibiki had to mask another amused smile. _Why do I get the feeling this guy is the one that made his clone transform into the fake examiner? _

"I'll ask you all one last time. This is your last chance. Do you want to quit?"

"NO!" Naruto roared, answering for every Genin in the room. None of them objected.

"Fine then," Ibiki looked towards the examiners, who nodded. "All of you... pass."

Sasuke blinked.

"That's right!" Ibiki continued.

Naruto had a look of disbelief on his face.

"I congratulate all 78 of you here on passing the first test!"

* * *

**Finally done with this. I think I did pretty well with this chapter, so let's see what you think. Do drop me a review. In the next chapter, the second part of the Chunin Exams beckon. Stay tuned. **


	14. Chunin Exams: The Forest of Death

**It's nice to see loyal readers who review every chapter. I really appreciate it. **

**Thanks to _TheOrangeStar802_ and _Akatsuki no Kyara_ for the reviews!_  
_**

* * *

"Welcome to the stage of the second test. Training Area 44: The Forest of Death."

Sakura shuddered. She clung onto Sasuke's arm, feeling uneasy.

Naruto felt a pang of jealousy as Sasuke smiled down at Sakura, but shook it off as he listened to what this crazy examiner lady, who had called herself Anko Mitarashi, had to say.

After celebrating for having passed the first test, this purple-haired weirdo had burst into the classroom and taken them all to this place for the second part of the Chunin Exams. Naruto felt excitement course through his body. He had a feeling this wasn't some written test - there was finally going to be some action.

"You will soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death. Hehe."

"Cool story bro," Sasuke called out.

There was a few chuckles in the Genin crowd at this, and Anko frowned.

"This is nothing," Naruto bragged. "If you think you're intimidating me, puh-lease. I was more worried than I am now when I found out our first test was a written one."

A kunai was thrown.

"Nooope!" Naruto said cockily, ducking to the side as the kunai whizzed past him.

Anko smirked. "Kids like you are quickly killed. Brat."

The purple-haired Special Jonin walked towards a Grass ninja behind Naruto. The blonde turned, to see that this particular Grass shinobi had caught Anko's kunai with her tongue.

Tongue?

Naruto looked away. _That's just plain creepy..._

"Thank you," Anko winked at the Grass nin, who simply nodded with a sadistic smirk. "Heh. Looks like this year's exam is going to be real interesting."

_Interesting? _Naruto twitched. _More like creepy._

_That tongue... it's scary..._ Sasuke stared at the Grass nin. When the long-tongue possessor noticed, she stared right back, and the Uchiha's eyes widened as he felt the amount of killer intent directed towards him. Turning away quickly, Sasuke made a point to never run into that straw-hatted woman ever again.

_Hehehe... so that is Sasuke-kun..._ The 'Grass nin' giggled mentally, adjusting her hat. _We will meet later... Sasuke-kun..._

"Before we start the second test, there is something we have to hand out," Anko announced. "You have to sign these papers." When met with the curious glances of the Genin as she waved a stack of papers in the air, she continued. "Well, you see, it's like this. There will be deaths in this test, and as long as you die without signing one of these, I'll get into deep shit, hahaha."

_Deaths?_ Sakura thought. Her grip on Sasuke's arm tightened.

"Ow... Sakura, you're hurting me."

"S-Sorry Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke looked down at the pinkette and sighed. _She must have gotten shaken when that crazy examiner lady said something about dying. Well, I'm not dying here in the middle of an exam, and since she's on my team, she has nothing to be worried about! _He told himself confidently.

"After you sign these forms, I'll be explaining what the test is all about."

Forms were rapidly signed.

"Help me out," Sasuke handed two papers to Naruto.

"Nuh uh," Naruto grinned. "I'll help Sakura, but not you."

"Asshole."

"Bastard."

After a four-second-long staring contest, Naruto growled in defeat and grabbed the papers, and along with them chucked his own piece of paper into the designated area. Sasuke smirked and nodded in thanks.

"Now, let's hear what the second test is all about!" The Special Jonin said cheerfully. "Basically, in the Forest of Death, your team is going to get through the ultimate survival test."

_A survival test!_ Naruto thought, the excitement rising further up within him.

"Around this Training Area 44, as it's name suggests, has 44 locked gates. This area has a radius of around ten kilometers. There's a forest..."

Sasuke blinked. _No shit. _

"... rivers, and a tower in the middle. During the survival in here, you will need to do a certain task. Battles, with no rules. What do all of you fight for? These." Anko held up two scrolls. One had the word 'Heaven' scripted onto the front, and other had the word 'Earth'.

_Heaven and Earth,_ Sakura stared at the scrolls.

"There are around 26 teams here. So! 13 teams will get the Heaven Scroll and the other 13 will have the Earth Scroll. Your objective is to get to the tower in the center, with both scrolls in possession. When you reach the tower, only then, do you pass this test."

"Ah..." Naruto nodded, finally getting it. "So, we do battle with other teams for scrolls!"

"Yeeee-up!" Anko replied enthusiastically.

"But what happens if we defeat a team with a similar scroll to ours?" Kiba spoke up.

"You're free to do whatever you'd like with that scroll. However, it won't pass you, of course."

_Whatever I like? Hm... _Sasuke was deep in thought. _Dog boy asked a good question. But what does she mean by 'whatever I like'? _Then realization hit him. _So, I can pocket scrolls that I already have on purpose, to reduce the amount of teams that will pass this test, so there will be a higher rate of me and my teammates being promoted to Chunin... or perhaps use it as a bargaining tool when ambushed by other teams... Interesting..._

"Time limit?" Shikamaru asked.

"Five days."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat? Will breakfast, lunch and dinner be provided?" Choji asked desperately.

"Pampered little idiot," Anko frowned. "There will be plenty of food within the forest. Of course, only the non-poisonous ones are edible."

Choji paled. Shikamaru patted his best friend's shoulder to calm him down. "Don't worry," the Nara whispered, grinning. "I know how to tell which ones are poisonous, and which ones aren't."

This made Choji relax, but now it was Ino's turn to speak up.

"What about showers? How do I refresh myself every morning?"

Murmurs among the female crowd of Genin showed that they had the same questions on their minds.

"Go without it," Anko shrugged. "You won't die. It's just a shower. If you really have to, wash yourselves in the rivers around the forest. They're pretty clean. Of course, you also risk being located by enemies and killed or injured while your guard is off..."

Ino stepped back, her face now paling in horror.

Shikamaru this time had no comforting words. He just sighed.

"Okay kiddos. Now, everyone will check into that booth over there. You will exchange your three papers for one scroll. The booth will be hidden so no one will know who has what scroll."

Anko then grinned, looking back towards the shadows of the Forest of Death. The second stage of the Chunin Exams had begun.

* * *

"Now is a perfect time to discuss a strategy." Sasuke noted.

Team 7 had gotten their scroll, an Earth Scroll, and had now reported to one of the 44 gates.

"Eh. How long until the gate opens?" Naruto asked the man tasked with opening their gate.

"Around five minutes," he replied.

"Five minutes should be plenty to plan." Sasuke nodded. "Naruto, you can use the Shadow Clone Jutsu right? Create as many as you can when we are in there and do scouting. Find weak teams, or vulnerable teams. Once any of your clones find one, we move in."

"How do I know which of the teams are weak?"

Sasuke ran a hand through his air. "I guess it's best to stick with the teams we know. Forget the 'weak teams' part. Locate the other rookie teams. Team 8, Team 10."

"Aiming for a battle between the rookies, huh?" Naruto smirked.

Sakura decided to break her silence. "Have you come up with a battle plan? Like, when we run into battle, or someone decides to ambush us?"

"Not really," Sasuke frowned. "Naruto, you can do kenjutsu, right?"

"Uh huh!"

"Good. Do you have your weapons with you?"

Naruto withdrew two katanas from the sword holders that had been newly-added to his orange outfit just a week ago. "Yup! Itachi-sensei got me these! He said this was one of the weapons he used while he was in the ANBU. Cool, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sakura, what do you have?"

"Huh? Oh... um..." The pinkette started nervously. "I have the Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu, although I'm not sure if I've perfected it yet."

"Good enough," Sasuke grunted. "It can be used to give us time for an escape from an enemy we can't defeat. And for me..." He thumped a hand on his chest. "Two Fire Style ninjutsu, and the Sharingan."

"So what's the plan?" Naruto pressed, impatient.

"When we're attacked or ambushed, me and Naruto will take on the enemy. Sakura, you will stay back. If one of us can't battle anymore, you step in. If the enemy really can't be dealt with, use your Headhunter Jutsu, and we'll get the hell out of there. What do you say?"

"Sounds good."

"Yeah. Let's kick some ass!"

At that precise moment, the man opened the gates. "It's time to go. Good luck."

"Let's go, Naruto, Sakura!" Sasuke rushed in.

"Hey, wait for me!" Naruto followed right after. Smiling, Sakura followed her teammates.

* * *

"Do it now, Naruto."

Five minutes had passed since Team 7 had entered the Forest of Death and they hadn't encountered anything, simply jumping through a few tree branches.

"Roger!" Naruto made a hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A hundred Shadow Clones appeared and every single one scattered toward different directions.

"Good job," Sasuke nodded. "Now..."

He tossed a kunai into the bushes.

The Grass nin from before emerged, smiling maniacally. However, this smile wasn't like Ibiki's before. This one was a lot more sadistic, with the intent to kill.

"Well, that was fast... We've gotten attacked already."

Naruto frowned, mentally dubbing this Grass nin Long Tongue. "Oi, Long Tongue! Where are your teammates?"

Long Tongue refrained from answering, and instead settled for an evil smirk, pulling out a long sword.

"Let's see what you can do... Naruto-kun... Sasuke-kun..."

"Sasuke-kun my ass! It's Sasuke to you!" Sasuke growled.

"Don't be like that, Sasuke-kun..." Long Tongue hissed, his evil smirk never leaving his face. "We might turn out to be friends, after all..." The sword-wielding Grass nin then held up a Heaven Scroll in his hands.

"Friends? Who would want to be friends with you?" Sasuke spat.

"You have the Earth Scroll right?" Long Tongue ignored Sasuke's question. "So you will want this Heaven Scroll." He then swallowed the scroll whole, visibly scaring Team 7.

"Y-Y-You swallowed it!" Sakura's eyes widened.

"Now let's fight for the scrolls..." The Grass nin grinned wildly. "With our lives on the line!"

Sasuke tensed as he witnessed a vision of Sakura being impaled by a kunai. The scene repeated itself over and over again. He clutched his head, feeling sick as his female teammate coughed out blood.

_Gen... jutsu...? No... this is just... killing intent...! My God... he can do so much with just one wave of KI... Who is this guy? There is no way he's a Genin!_

"Are you witnessing it? Your own deaths?" Long Tongue chuckled. "Hm?"

Sasuke forced himself to turn. Sakura was clutching her head like him, trying to shake out the visions. However, Naruto was seemingly unaffected by the wave of KI.

"You are brave, boy," Long Tongue smiled creepily at Naruto. "To not be affected at all... Tell me, how are you able to shake off the visions and the killing intent?"

Naruto shrugged. "The villagers try to kill me every day when I was a little boy. I've been through all this already." He then whipped out his two katanas. "Guys, snap out of it! We've got to fight him!"

"It's no use..." Long Tongue laughed. "They won't even want to move."

"No..."

Naruto gasped as he watched his teammate stab himself in the thigh with a kunai.

"... let's do this... argh... ouch..."

Long Tongue raised an eyebrow. "Not bad. Inflicting pain on yourself to force yourself back into reality. Just what I'd expect from an Uchiha."

"That's not the only thing you should expect from an Uchiha!" Sasuke activated his Sharingan, trying to forget about the pain raging in his thigh. "Naruto, are you ready?"

"You bet I am!" Naruto got into a kenjutsu stance. "Come on, Long Tongue!"

"Heh..."

Long Tongue brought his own sword forward.

Sasuke looked back towards Sakura, who was slowly recovering from the KI. Satisfied, he turned back towards the battle. Naruto stood beside him, neither willing to make a move first.

Noticing this, Long Tongue disappeared, reappearing behind Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" Naruto warned. "Take this, bastard!" He thrust a sword towards the Grass nin, but the long-haired shinobi was no longer there. This time, it was Sasuke's turn to yell.

"Naruto!" Sasuke quickly formed hand seals. "Duck!" The blonde Genin forced himself to the ground, as Sasuke roared, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Hahaha..." Long Tongue jumped out of the way, as the fireball burned into a tree. "You will need better techniques than that to stop me, Sasuke-kun." He charged towards the Uchiha.

"Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

"What?" Long Tongue growled as he jumped into the air, just a second before three Naruto copies could reach him with their katanas. The original Naruto appeared behind him, and Long Tongue flipped around quickly to parry Naruto's thrust.

"Take this!" Naruto ducked and swung both katanas towards Long Tongue's feet.

Unfortunately, the snake-like ninja jumped back. "You're a Genin, but you can use an A-Rank kenjutsu technique... Your speed, too... I would have been dead meat had I remained there a second longer. You're full of surprises, Naruto-kun."

"Shut up!" Naruto did his Shadow Clone hand sign again. "Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Wha-?" Naruto's clones dispersed and the original felt himself being blown back violently. One of his katanas slipped from his hands towards the forest floor.

_Here's my chance!_ Sasuke launched his hands into seals once again. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The flame grew with the wind from Long Tongue's jutsu, and flew towards the long-haired ninja.

It managed to destroy a tree, with it crumpling to the ground, but Long Tongue soon reappeared behind Sasuke, unharmed. Startled, Sasuke kicked back, but Long Tongue was in front of Sasuke by then.

"Stop playing with me, you idiot..." The Uchiha kicked forward, and this time, Long Tongue was above him, looking ready to bury his sword into Sasuke's skull. Instinctively, Sasuke dropped his upper body to the ground and kicked the sword away.

"Good moves, Sasuke-kun," the Grass nin commented, as she... or was it a he... raised a hand. "Sword of Kusanagi!"

The sword flew back into Long Tongue's hand, making Sasuke gasp.

_He can control his sword... this is no original man... or woman..._

Naruto watched the battle unfold, and then noticed Sakura, who was still trembling a few meters away from the ensuing fight. Swiftly, he leaped forward and carried Sakura in his arms, before jumping down onto the forest floor.

"Sakura-chan... calm down," he soothed, trying to sound as nice as possible. At the same time, Naruto noticed his katana lying a meter away, and got up, wanting to pick up the weapon.

"No! Naruto... don't leave..."

Naruto frowned, as Sakura grabbed onto his leg.

"If you leave... we are all going to die... protect me, please..."

At her statement, Naruto gave her a comforting smile. "I'll never leave. I promise. Believe it!" In his mind, he cursed the Long Tongue freak. _She must still be affected by that intense KI..._

Sakura seemed to be satisfied, and she wrapped Naruto into a crushing hug. Surprised, Naruto wanted to pull away, but relaxed when he saw Sakura wasn't going to release her grip anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was trying to hold off the strange man... or woman.

_What is Naruto doing? I can't fight him... or her... alone! _The Rookie of the Year launched into a series of kicks, but Long Tongue blocked every single one with his formidable sword.

He peered down, to see Naruto gently stroking Sakura's pink hair. Sasuke blinked.

_Well, hopefully she won't be bothering me like a fangirl now. No, wait, that's impossible. She's always a fangirl, _Sasuke sighed, as he threw his fist forward. He withdrew it quickly and jumped away as Long Tongue's sword thrusted towards his chest.

"What are you?" Sasuke questioned, more of curiosity than anything else.

"I am Orochimaru."

"Okay, Orochimaru, so are you a male or a female?"

Orochimaru twitched. "Male."

"For a minute there I thought you were... both."

Orochimaru twitched again, but then his expression hardened. "I've had fun playing with you, Sasuke-kun. But this is the perfect opportunity to do it while your teammates are not around."

"It?" Sasuke frowned, alert.

_Big brother has been teaching me this jutsu... but I haven't mastered it completely yet... should I...? _

Orochimaru sheathed his sword. "Prepare yourself, Sasuke-kun."

_Yup. Definitely should. _

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

"What?!" Orochimaru shielded himself as a burst of flame taking the form of a dragon's head rushed towards him. The Kusanagi wielder jumped back, but the enormous flame followed.

Sasuke grinned as the flames exploded. _Did I get him? _

To his dismay, Orochimaru emerged safely from the smoke, although part of his face was torn off to reveal it was a mask, and another face underneath.

_What... what is this? _

"Who the hell are you?"

"I told you, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru chuckled evilly. "My name is Orochimaru. Remember it well, because we will meet again." Then he touched his face, feeling the torn skin. "But to burn off even this little bit of my mask is quite a feat. But there is no time to waste... it is time."

"Time for what?" Sasuke questioned suspiciously.

"This."

Orochimaru's neck extended, and the snake-like man's head inched closer towards Sasuke.

_Holy fuck. _Sasuke leaped back, but Orochimaru's head caught up. _No!_ The Uchiha launched a kick, but the neck of the snake man wrapped around his leg and his body.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke growled. "Constricting me like a snake?"

"Something like that," Orochimaru chuckled, breathing into Sasuke's ear and making him shiver. "But... I'm not ready for you to die quite yet."

Sasuke grunted, but beneath his confident expression was one of true fear. "What... what are you going to do with me?" He tried to reach for the Earth Scroll in his pocket, but Orochimaru's neck restricted his hand. "L-Look... I have the Earth Scroll... you can take it... and leave us alone. Deal?"

"No."

With that said, Orochimaru bit into his neck.

Eyes widening, Sasuke tried to move, but found himself paralyzed as Orochimaru's fangs sank into his neck. He felt power coursing through his veins, new power. But with it, was also pain. Excruciating pain. Sasuke clutched his neck and fell to the ground, twisting and turning as Orochimaru's long neck pulled back.

"This is your first test, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru spoke. "Let's see if you have what it takes to survive the Cursed Seal of Heaven. I will see you again, if you don't die, that is."

With a final maniacal laugh, the 'Grass-nin' disappeared.

* * *

**Two chapters in one day! Wow. I don't know why but I was in the mood for writing, so here they are. I'm not one to keep completed chapters away from readers just for more reviews in the latest chapter, so, here you go. What did you think of the battle against Orochimaru? Sasuke receives the Cursed Seal and Naruto doesn't get a Five-Pronged Seal! Woohoo. In the next chapter, Team 7, shaken from the fight against Orochimaru, must now continue on in the Exams and find an Earth Scroll compatible to their Heaven Scroll. Until next time!**


	15. Chunin Exams: Clash of the Dead-Lasts

**8 reviews for Chapter 14! I appreciate it!**

**Huge shoutout to _TheOrangeStar802_, my 50th reviewer! Thank you for supporting _Team Itachi_!_  
_**

**Skittleheart: Yes, they will meet Kakashi! Sasuke still needs to learn the Chidori ;) **

**Guest: I do respond to some reviews.**

**Juti: Nope.**

**Thanks to _Akatsuki no Kyara, skittleheart, The True Not Important, Guest, __Juti, TheOrangeStar802_ and _Charmed_ for the reviews!_  
_**

* * *

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. He gently set Sakura down, and rushed to meet his friend. The pinkette was unconscious, after shaking and panicking from the intense killing intent.

"Argh..."

Sasuke felt himself falling from the tree. Instead, he felt Naruto grab him. The two safely descended onto the ground.

"What happened?" Naruto asked worriedly. He had saw the one called Orochimaru biting Sasuke in the neck. "He didn't turn you into a snake vampire or something like that, did he?"

Sasuke couldn't answer. He felt the world going black.

"Oi! Sasuke!"

Naruto started panicking as Sasuke collapsed, unconscious like Sakura.

_Damn... _

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

One clone appeared. Naruto would have summoned more, but then he reminded himself there were about another hundred clones running around the forest.

"What's up boss?" He asked.

"Carry Sasuke and follow me!" Naruto ordered, scooping Sakura into his arms. The clone grumbled something about having to carry Sasuke instead of Sakura, but followed the original's command anyway.

Both Narutos leaped through the trees, intent on finding a safe place to rest.

As they went, the Naruto clone glanced down at Sasuke and noticed a mark on his neck. Frowning, he inspected it.

_This doesn't seem to be a good mark... I'll have to tell the boss about it later. Oh wait, my memories go to him once I disperse. Heh._

"Oi!" Naruto shouted back at his clone to alert him. The original then jumped down from the trees, and his clone followed. The two identical boys arrived at a small cave.

"A cave in the middle of a forest?" The clone frowned, as Naruto put Sakura down.

"Anyway, at least we're safe now." Naruto smiled, as he watched his clone setting Sasuke down as well.

"Not quite," the clone shook his head. "Anyway, I'll be going for now."

"Right," Naruto nodded, as his clone vanished in a puff of smoke. Instantly, the memories flooded his mind. Curiously, the orange-loving Genin bundled over to the unconscious body of Sasuke and stared at his neck. Indeed, there was some sort of mark there.

_What is this? _

Naruto then sat down and leaned against the wall of the cave, resting as his tired mind erased the question from his head. Right now, his priority was to rest for a bit to get his body back into shape. _  
_

He felt his eyelids slowly dropping, but steadied himself.

_I can't sleep. If an enemy arrives our Earth Scroll will be stolen... or even worst, if they are anything like that Long Tongue freak... we'll be dead._

With that motivation, Naruto forced his eyes open.

* * *

"It seems we have run into Naruto's team."

"Really? Naruto's team? Heh!"

Kiba, Shino and Hinata stood at the top of a tree, glancing down towards a cave. They saw Naruto's head sticking out, probably searching for any enemies or unfriendly people.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stuttered. "A-Are you sure t-this is a g-g-good idea? K-Kiba-kun?" She produced two scrolls from her pockets. "W-We already have b-both s-scrolls after a-all..."

The thought of having to fight Naruto scared the Hyuga heiress.

"Of course! Naruto is like one of the weakest!" Kiba smirked. "Maybe we can snatch the scroll his team has as a bargaining tool if we run into strong enemies."

_Naruto-kun isn't as weak as you think he is Kiba-kun,_ Hinata thought, poking her fingers. "I s-still don't think t-this is a good idea."

"I agree with Hinata," Shino voiced his opinion.

"I guess I'll have to go solo then," Kiba said, his smirk remaining on his lips. Akamaru barked.

"Kiba, don't-" Shino started, but the Inuzuka had already jumped from his position in the trees. With a huge sigh, the bug user looked towards Hinata. "Hinata, you stay here. I'm going to back Kiba up." He knew his teammate's feelings for the blonde loud-mouthed Genin.

Hinata nodded with a thankful expression on her face. Shino jumped from his position on the tree and joined Kiba below on the ground.

_Naruto-kun... Please be safe..._

"Looks like you've decided to join me, Shino." Kiba grinned.

"I just want to make sure you don't get yourself injured," Shino said stoically. "It would be a hassle to carry an injured teammate to the tower."

Kiba grunted and flexed his muscles. "Should we attack him when he's not suspecting us, or call him out for a fair fight? Your call."

"Hm. I say-"

"Woooaaah!"

Shino looked up, alert, as Kiba let out a shriek of surprise. His foot had kicked into an almost-invisible string that he hadn't noticed before.

A moment passed, and finally Shino was the one to scream. "Kiba, look out!" He pulled the feral boy away quickly as four kunai struck the spot that Kiba had been in before.

"Whew," Kiba heaved a sigh of relief. "Never knew Naruto was the type to make traps. Or maybe it was Sasuke-"

An explosion followed.

"Aaaaaargh!" Kiba and Shino were both thrown back. The Inuzuka blurted out a string of curses, as he felt burns all over his body. Kiba's train of thought went to Naruto. _That tricky bastard! _

Speaking of the devil, a spiky-haired figure emerged from the smoke. Naruto was surprised to see an injured Kiba, and an unconscious Shino before him.

"Looks like you triggered my explosion tags," Naruto grinned childishly. "Sorry about that, Kiba."

"You... you bastard!" Kiba growled and staggered back onto his feet. "Akamaru, come on!"

Akamaru barked in response.

_Uh oh... he wants to fight,_ Naruto thought. _At least Shino is out cold... but if Hinata comes in to help I'll certainly lose._

"We are going to beat you up so hard and take your scroll!" Kiba said confidently. "You stand back, Akamaru. I think I can defeat the dead last on my own." Akamaru obediently stepped back, barking to cheer on his master.

"Who are you calling the dead last?" Naruto responded in anger. "Dead last, dead last, blah blah blah. I'll show you what the dead last can do! Believe it!" With that said, he drew out his katanas.

_When did Naruto learn how to use a weapon?_ Kiba thought. _Bah. He must be just showing off._

"Tunneling Fang!"

Kiba began spinning ferociously and charged towards Naruto. The katana-wielding Genin dived out of the way, and Kiba slammed into a tree, tearing through it's trunk.

When the attack had ended, Kiba landed on the ground in front of Naruto. "That didn't hit you? Damn!"

"You're in range!"

"In range?"

Kiba watched as Naruto summoned two Shadow Clones.

_Is that... the Shadow Clone Jutsu? What? That's supposed to be a B-Rank jutsu! How can the dead last know how to do this? _

"I'm sorry, Kiba, but you won't like this one," Naruto said apologetically. "Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

With a speed faster than the Tunneling Fang, Naruto was right in front of him. Kiba gasped, as he felt his chest burn with a sudden pain. "What was that?!" The dog-loving Genin questioned. Then he spotted the tip of Naruto's sword, tainted with blood.

_Could it be... he swung his weapon so fast... I couldn't even see it? _

Two katanas were suddenly at his neck. Kiba closed his eyes, prepared for his death, but instead there was nothing. The only thing Kiba felt was the cold touch of two katanas at his neck. One move and his head would be gone.

Akamaru barked in despair for his master.

"I'm not exactly the killing type," Naruto explained sheepishly. "So if you just tell me what is the scroll you have, I'll let you go. You're my friend, after all!" His lips broke into a cheeky grin.

_Naruto..._ Kiba smiled. "You're a good guy, Naruto. Unfortunately..." He flicked a pill towards Akamaru. It was an accurate shot, and his ninken jumped towards the pill and swallowed it.

The Inuzuka then started coughing as he felt the katanas press against his neck. "Calm down! Any deeper and I'm dead!"

Naruto's clones relaxed, as the original looked towards Akamaru suspiciously. "What did you do to your dog?"

Akamaru's skin turned a shade of red. With all three Narutos distracted, Kiba seized the opportunity to pop another of his pills into his mouth. He felt his strength returning.

"Now I'm playing serious!" Kiba growled. Naruto's head snapped back towards his former classmate. "Eat this!" He roared and jumped into the air, kicking both clones to disperse them.

Naruto stepped back. _He's fast... what did he do to himself?_

"You've gotten stronger, Naruto," Kiba acknowledged, with a nod and a smirk. "Let's go, Akamaru! Man Beast Clone!"

Akamaru transformed into a wilder, shaggier-looking version of Kiba.

"Akamaru transformed into Kiba?!" Naruto thought out loud, backing away. "Well, I can handle two Kibas just fine!"

Kiba and Aka-Kiba ignored their opponent. "Ninja Art Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!"

Blue chakra enveloped the two Kibas. Naruto was immediately on his guard, both katanas positioned in front of him in a protective manner as Kiba and Aka-Kiba began roaring and barking at the same time.

"What are you doing to yourself?" Naruto questioned.

From her position in the trees, Hinata gasped. _Kiba-kun is going to use that technique!_

The Inuzuka responded by throwing smoke bombs toward Naruto, engulfing the blonde in smoke. Naruto shielded his eyes as he heard Kiba cry, "Man-Beast Ultimate Taijutsu! Fang Over Fang!"

_Man Beast Ultimate what?_ Naruto thought to himself. _This can't be good!_ Swiftly, he placed his hands into a familiar hand seal.

"Aye!"

"Youch!"

"Raargh!"

"Owww- oww oww!"

"Damn it! Ouch!"

"Argh!"

A satisfactory smile crawled onto Kiba's lips as both he and Aka-Kiba ended their assault. _Judging from the ways he kept grunting... Naruto must be injured... no, half-dead by_ _now! _

His enhanced senses, however, soon picked up on the swishing of a kunai thrown from above. Narrowly dodging, his eyes widened as he spotted an explosive tag on the short ninja weapon.

For the second time today, Kiba was caught in the middle of an explosion.

"H-How?"

The heavily-injured Inuzuka coughed out blood, as Akamaru lay beside him, barely conscious.

Naruto stood on a tree that Kiba had been under, just before he got caught in the explosion. The spiky-haired boy looked as fit as a fiddle, with no visible recent bruises or wounds. He shot the injured dog boy a goofy grin.

"The smoke bombs were your downfall."

"Smoke bombs?" Kiba questioned. Then his eyes widened.

_Those grunts... there were a lot of them... and... he can use the Shadow Clone Jutsu... damn it, I see..._

"You used the Shadow Clone Jutsu, anticipating a dangerous attack," Kiba growled. "Then you jumped away with your crazily fast speed, away from the smoke, leaving your Shadow Clones there to take the hits."

"Yeee-up! And because you and your little dog were spinning so wildly, you didn't catch me leaving." Naruto had a cheeky and triumphant expression on his face.

Kiba sighed, giving up on trying to move. His body wouldn't listen to him.

He had to do it, but he didn't want to.

Eventually, Kiba shook his head.

"I admit defeat... You've gotten strong... Naruto..."

_Think I gotta... rest for a bit..._ The shaggy-haired boy thought, as he felt tiredness overtake him. Soon, Kiba closed his eyes.

"Don't go to...!" Naruto started, but was met by a snore from the dog boy. "... sleep, Kiba..." He finished lamely. "I haven't asked you where the scrolls were yet! Oi! Oi!"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

Naruto turned, to see Hinata in front of him. Instinctively, the boy got into a fighting stance. Hinata raised her arms in the air quickly, to show she meant no harm.

"I-I just came here to t-take Kiba-kun and S-Shino-kun away..."

"Oh." Relaxing, Naruto nodded. He glanced over at Kiba, then to Shino. "Um... Kiba will need a good rest. Shino should be fine, once he wakes up."

"A-Alright... T-Thank you N-Naruto-kun."

"No problem!" Naruto flashed his trademark grin towards Hinata, making her blush. The heiress was on the verge of fainting, but forced her excitement away. She had a duty to help her teammates.

Hinata walked over to Kiba. Grabbing her teammate's collar, she dragged him along to Shino. With Shino, Hinata grabbed his collar as well.

"Are you going to drag them around the forest?" Naruto had a look of disbelief on his face.

"U-Um... yeah..."

"Right..."

Hinata then released her hold on Shino, rummaging through her pockets. "W-What scroll do you need... N-Naruto-kun?"

_Is she going to give me a scroll?_ Naruto thought joyfully, but frowned. _No way. I can't take it._

"I can't take your scroll, Hinata," he replied, matter-of-factly. "You should be defending your scrolls, not randomly giving them to friends. The crazy examiner lady said so!"

"O-Oh... B-But I thought since y-you defeated K-Kiba-kun in a fair and sq-square f-fight... you should... uh... t-take it..." She found herself stuttering more in the presence of her yellow-haired idol, and mentally lectured herself.

Naruto frowned at the stuttering. "No way! You keep it, Hinata."

"I-If you s-say so... N-Naruto-kun." Hinata grabbed onto Shino's collar. "W-We'll be going now."

As Hinata and the unconscious figures of Kiba and Shino disappeared from view, Naruto suddenly remembered about Sasuke and Sakura. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about being so far away from the cave. Kiba had led him away from it during the battle.

Hurriedly, Naruto rushed back to the cave, and when he saw three figures, faces shielded by the shadows, crouching over Sasuke and Sakura, a chill ran down his spine.

_Looks like it's time for another battle..._

"Hey! Naruto's back!" One of the three figures warned.

Naruto frowned and his grip on the hilt of his katana tightened. He swore he recognized that voice.

"Shikamaru!" A second voice called.

"What a drag..."

A moving shadow shot up and before Naruto could do anything, he found himself paralyzed. Surprised, he looked up, to see Shikamaru, Choji and Ino, with the latter holding Team 7's Earth Scroll.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu... success."

* * *

**One fight after another, huh? What did you think of the fight scene with Kiba? In the next chapter, Team 7 clashes with Team 10 in a 'Battle for the Scrolls'. Stay tuned. **


	16. Chunin Exams: Heaven and Earth

**Welcome back to another chapter of _Team Itachi_.**

**Thanks to _TheOrangeStar802, Charmed__, Akatsuki no Kyara_ and_ The True Not Important_for the reviews!**

* * *

"Shadow Possession Jutsu... success."

"Why us?" Naruto frowned.

"Sorry, Naruto," Choji had an apologetic look on his face. "They were unguarded and all, so Ino decided to barge in and take the scroll. Well, it's every man for himself out here, right?" He laughed nervously.

"You should have engaged me in a fair fight!" Naruto was annoyed.

Shikamaru sighed. "Choji."

Choji nodded reluctantly, not comfortable with the idea of hurting a comrade. "Expansion Jutsu!" The Akimichi grew into three times his normal size, and curled into a giant ball. "Human Boulder!"

"Release!" Shikamaru released his jutsu, just a second before Choji slammed full force into Naruto's body. The blonde Jinchuriki was sent flying out of the cave.

"Now that's taken care of, let's go and find some place to camp for the night! We head for the tower early in the morning!" Ino said cheerfully, pocketing Team 7's Earth Scroll.

"What a drag."

"I hope they have food at the tower!"

Team 10 strode out of the cave, leaving the unconscious Sasuke and Sakura behind, but not before Ino creepily marveled over Sasuke's face.

"Not so fast!"

The trio looked up, and Ino let out a loud gasp. Shikamaru grunted, and Choji regarded the scene with a panicked stare.

At least twenty Narutos were up in the trees above them. All were armed with two katanas.

"If you want to leave..."

"... you have to beat us first!"

_Shit. Ino-Shika-Cho can't work on twenty enemies, and we don't even know which one is the original Naruto! _Shikamaru thought. _Wait. This isn't a simple Clone Jutsu. This is... the Shadow Clone Jutsu! But that's a B-Rank technique! How did Naruto learn that?! _

"We can handle fifty Narutos, let alone twenty!" Ino called out confidently. "Besides, those are stupid illusions! Just a simple Clone Jutsu! They can't touch us!"

Now all the Narutos had smirks on their faces.

_You have no idea how wrong you are..._ Shikamaru turned towards his teammate.

"We can't touch you, eh?" One of the clones started.

"Why don't we..."

"... test that out!"

The Naruto clones began grouping themselves into pairs.

_What is he thinking? _Shikamaru looked around at the clones, as they all successfully formed into twos.

One particular pair began the action. The first Naruto of the pair lifted up the second Naruto, and with all his strength, flung this second Naruto towards Team 10.

"Wha-?" Ino was punched in the face by the flying Naruto. Angrily, she got up to retaliate, but the clone who had punched her dispersed.

_Uh oh... _Shikamaru looked on as a dozen Narutos came flying at them, with their fists outstretched.

* * *

In just five minutes, Team 10 had fell.

Ino was knocked unconscious, with Naruto not feeling very comfortable over hitting a female. Choji and Shikamaru, however, had bruises all over their faces and bodies.

"I'm sorry, guys," Naruto said cheerfully. "Ah, well, you should be fine after a good rest."

He strode over to Ino, and praying she wouldn't wake up and scream at him for being a pervert, Naruto checked all her pockets for the scroll. Thankfully, this only took a few seconds, finding his team's Earth Scroll in his fellow blonde's back pocket.

"Sooo, who has the Heaven Scroll?" He thought aloud. After a thorough check, Naruto found Team 10's Heaven Scroll on Choji, and, although feeling a little guilty about beating up his friends like this and halving their chances of passing, decided to keep the two scrolls.

_The least I can do is move them to a safe place,_ Naruto nodded determinedly. _I can only summon one or two more clones, or I'll be dying of chakra exhaustion. _

"Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Two clones jumped out from a puff of smoke. One carried Ino bridal style and Shikamaru on his back. The other had the job of carrying the overweight Choji, and this particular clone looked ready to collapse.

As his clones left, Naruto retreated back to the cave and stuffed the Heaven Scroll into Sasuke's pocket, keeping the Earth Scroll for himself.

_Since I've got the scroll we want, I should disperse all the clones around the forest now. _

One by one, the hundred or so clones that Naruto had summoned were dispersed.

_I definitely need to rest for awhile... Wow. _

_No... I feel so re-energized now. _

_Why? I swear I was so tired a minute ago! _

Shrugging it off, Naruto sat down and toyed with one of his kunai.

_Just gives me the opportunity to look out for the enemies._

Naruto got up. _Better start setting some traps... Kiba and Shino got caught in them, so it should work for everyone._

He checked his small tool bag, where he kept his dozens of ninja weapons. Finding three more explosive tags left, Naruto activated them, before starting to set his traps up.

_This should be good,_ he smirked, thinking of an enemy ninja getting caught in this. He was a natural at traps.

When Naruto was a child, ANBU were normally stationed outside his house every other night, because of the villagers' tendencies to attack the house where he lived alone. A kind dog-masked ANBU had taught him how to defend himself through traps, and since then, he'd been practicing. Only this time, Naruto could use real ninja tools.

Smiling at the memory, Naruto walked back into the cave, trying to be as careful as possible in case he set off one of his own traps.

Satisfied with his work, the spiky-haired boy leaned against the wall, toying with his kunai for awhile and thinking of the day that'd passed, until he finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

"You're mine now, Sasuke-kun... kukuku..."

"No!"

"You're... mine..."

"No! No! I'm nobody's!"

"Mine... only mine... kukuku..."

"No... no... fuck off!" Sasuke screamed, the upper half of his body jerking up. He immediately noticed the sweat rolling down his cheek, and that he had activated his Sharingan in his sleep.

_What... what kind of dream..._

Suddenly, he remembered. Orochimaru.

Sasuke's fingers brushed against the spot where Orochimaru had bitten, and winced as he felt intense pain when his hand made contact. Deciding to ignore the wound for now, he turned to see Naruto, leaning against the wall, asleep, and Sakura, lying on the ground and snoring softly.

He was surprised to see his screams hadn't woken his teammates up. Then the raven-haired boy examined his surroundings.

_Naruto and Sakura must have got me here... _Sasuke looked towards his teammates and smiled. Although Naruto was a bit of an annoying loudmouth and Sakura was annoying as well, they were both interesting in their own ways. If he had a choice, he would still choose to stick to Team 7.

Then the Uchiha remembered the events of last night. Orochimaru. That bite. Sasuke had a feeling it was no ordinary bite. He stretched his head a little to get a look at his neck.

His eyes widened as he spotted some kind of mark there.

_What... is that? I think I'll have to ask big brother about it once we're out of this place._

Sasuke walked out of the cave, and thanks to his Sharingan, noticed the traps lying around the area. Realizing he still had his dojutsu on, he was about to deactivate it, but refrained from doing so after seeing the traps littered around the cave.

_Naruto or Sakura must have set them, _Sasuke concluded, as he walked towards the nearby stream.

_Hell... I'm thirsty._

Before Sasuke could lean down to taste the water, he felt a burning pain on his neck. Groaning, he collapsed, clutching onto the spot where the pain was coming from.

It was the mark. The mark was doing something to him. Coming to this realization, Sasuke felt fear grip his chest. Was it killing him?

No, if anything, Sasuke felt a surge of great strength shooting through his body, accompanied by the pain of course. He didn't feel any cells dying.

Deactivating his Sharingan, Sasuke continued turning. The pain was unbearable.

Almost as soon as it came, the pain suddenly stopped.

Blinking in surprise, Sasuke got back up. He took the sip of water he wanted and walked back to the cave, and activated his Sharingan when he was near the traps.

"Gaaahhhh!"

He was back down on the ground, writhing in pain. It was returning! He felt the great boost of power again, unfortunately accompanied yet again by the pain.

Instinctively, Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, and instantly, the pain vanished.

_My... my Sharingan! It's the cause of the pain! But why? _Sasuke frowned, getting back up.

This had to be set aside for now. The priority at the moment was to pass this test. Sasuke nodded to himself determinedly, and skillfully made his way back to the cave, avoiding the traps by remembering where he'd saw them earlier.

Unbeknownst to him, hidden within the trees, was a certain silver-haired, bespectacled individual.

"Hehehe." Kabuto smirked. "This is going to be interesting."

* * *

**Another short chapter, I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of anything more to write. I originally had this battle with Naruto and Sakura double-teaming to defeat the Ino-Shika-Cho trio but I re-read it after writing half of it and realized how shitty it was, so I erased everything and redid the chapter. Heh. **

**On an off-topic note, what is your favorite Naruto opening? Mine has to be the fifth opening, played during the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. **

**Until next time! **


	17. Chunin Exams: Attack of the Sound

**When I started _Team Itachi_, I had no idea it would be this popular, because this is only the second Naruto story that I've written that has been successful so far. The first apparently violated this website's rules and got deleted. Anyway, 63 reviews at 16 chapters. I cannot thank you guys enough. **

**_ Blood-red Moonlight_: Hero's Comeback is awesome, that I have to agree. Not my favorite though! :P **

**_ Akatsuki no Kyara_: I like the third too! Basically, I like the first five Naruto openings, and the first seven Shippuden openings :D**

**_Swordianspeed_: Thank you so much! :) **

**Thanks to _TheOrangeStar802, Akatsuki no Kyara, Blood-red Moonlight, magicaltoothbrush, swordianspeed, Charmed_ and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!****  
**

* * *

"Oi! Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Oi, Naruto."

"Naruto."

"Naruto..."

"Um, Naruto."

"Naruto...!"

"Naruto, wake up! Quick!"

"NAAAAAAAARUTO!"

"... Too late," Sasuke said lamely. An angry Sakura was beside him punching Naruto awake.

"Ouch! Ouch! I'm! Ouch! Awake! Ouch! Sakura! Ouch! Chan!"

"Good," Sakura smiled. Sasuke shivered. Her personality had done a complete turnaround.

"Good morning, Sasuke, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned, yawning and stretching. "You guys missed one hell of a night! I fought Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, got our Earth Scroll back, got the Heaven Scroll..."

When Sasuke finally got Naruto to calm down, the blonde explained everything to them.

"Where's the Heaven Scroll?" The raven-haired Uchiha asked.

"In your pocket."

Sasuke frowned as he felt something bulging in one of his pockets, and nodded. "Good job, Naruto."

_You, Naruto, are something else, _Sasuke shook his head, smiling. The dead last had taken on Kiba and Team 10 on his own! He, as a Rookie of the Year, felt embarrassed.

"Oh yeah, Sasuke," Naruto frowned. "You've got a mark on your neck, from where Long Tongue bit you. What is it?"

"I've seen it," Sasuke nodded, his face worried. "I don't know what it is. I have to ask big brother when we get out of this place."

Sakura stared at Sasuke's neck, where the mark was. She examined it closely. "Does it hurt you, Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah, sometimes," he admitted. "Whenever I use the Sharingan, it acts up. I wonder why?"

"Our priority would be to get to the tower first," Naruto reminded his teammates with a grin. "Itachi-sensei should be there. I think...?"

"He should," agreed Sasuke. "Well, let's go."

"Right!"

* * *

"Orochimaru did what?!"

Itachi and Fugaku Uchiha were all gathered in front of the Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi had a grim look on his face, and Anko Mitarashi, standing beside the Third, had an equally uncomfortable look.

"I'm going to kill the fucker!" Itachi roared, his temper flaring.

"Itachi, calm down-"

"How do you expect me to calm down?!" The Jonin forcefully brushed his father's hand away. "This is Sasuke we're talking about here! My little brother! Your son! Why are you so calm? We should be taking him out of this exam immediately and taking down Orochimaru before he leaves the village again, and-"

"Calm down, Itachi!" The Third slammed his fist on the table. "That's an order."

Itachi sighed, and stopped his rambling.

"I am sorry for my son's interruption, Hokage-sama," Fugaku said respectfully, trying to hide the fear building up within him. "Could you please tell us more about this?"

Hiruzen sighed. "We found three Kusa shinobi just after the second stage of the Chunin Exams had begun. They were supposed to be in this exam, but instead they were dead and their faces were just... missing."

"We suspected that they were targets for a Facial Copy Jutsu," Anko added. "And the only one who can use this jutsu is..."

"... Orochimaru," Fugaku finished.

Anko nodded. "Orochimaru and his henchmen posed as these Kusa shinobi to infiltrate the Forest of Death. I searched the forest and ran into him there. He..." The purple-haired Special Jonin sighed. "... told me that he'd left the Curse Seal on the Uchiha boy. I tried to kill him, but..."

Itachi frowned. "Hokage-sama, please. You must call off the exams now. If we have a missing-nin running around town-"

"Actually," Anko cut Itachi off before he could finish. "Orochimaru warned us not to end the exams."

"Or else what?" Itachi growled. "I could kill the bastard on a one-on-one."

"Itachi," Fugaku turned to his son, telling him to shut up.

"I have a lot of confidence in your abilities, Itachi," Hiruzen assured him. "But even if there is little possibility of it, I would still prefer to walk the road of peace than war."

"Fine." Itachi sighed. "But if any more shit happens, I'll be going in to stop Orochimaru myself."

* * *

"Found them."

"Took you long enough."

Dosu Kinuta snorted at his teammate. "Maybe if you pitched in and helped with the tracking, we could have found them earlier, Zaku."

Zaku Abumi shot the bandaged man his middle finger, causing Dosu to growl.

"Calm down, you two. We're here to kill Sasuke Uchiha, not kill among ourselves." Kin Tsuchi glared at her two teammates, and cast her glance towards Dosu. "Where are they?"

"Here."

Kin's eyes widened, but before she could turn, someone kneed her up in the butt, knocking her off her feet.

"Y-You pervert!" The kunoichi blushed, as a blonde Leaf Genin landed in front of her.

Naruto smirked, withdrawing his two katanas.

"She has a firm ass, doesn't she?" Zaku laughed.

"Zaku!" Kin snapped, annoyed.

"Who are you?" A voice called out. Sasuke stepped out, intently studying the trio's headbands. He didn't recognize the symbol on it. It was a music note.

"Sasuke Uchiha," Zaku sneered.

Sasuke seemed taken aback. "How do you know me?"

"Take this!" Zaku positioned his hands in front of him, blatantly ignoring Sasuke's question. "Slicing Sound Wave!" A blast of air slammed into Sasuke, throwing him off the tree and towards the ground. Zaku leaped down as well, intent on battling the Uchiha.

"Who are you?" Naruto demanded. "How do you all know Sasuke?"

"But of course we know," Kin took out three senbon. "We are here to dispose of him!"

_Dispose?_ Naruto frowned. "Like hell I'll let you do that!"

His reply was a trio of senbon flung towards his face. Naruto knocked them away with his katana.

Sasuke twisted his body in mid-air, landing safely on his feet. "Supersonic Slicing Wave!" He looked up, and dived out of the way just in time as Zaku's attack hit the ground, creating a massive dent.

Regaining his composure, he stood up. "What scroll do you have?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"We don't care," Zaku had a mad glint in his eyes. "Because we're here to kill you!"

_Damn. Weird things keep happening to me in this exam, _Sasuke thought. He activated his Sharingan.

"If you want a fight, so be it."

Up in the trees, Naruto was waving off senbon after senbon. As the senbon army stopped, Dosu attacked. Naruto brought up his katanas, waving them toward the mummy-like Genin.

_That girl is off her guard now... Sakura-chan, now!_

Sakura seemed to have read his mind. There was a flash of pink behind Kin, and Naruto's lips curled into a smile. Unfortunately, Kin whirled around, kicking Sakura in the face.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled.

"You have no time to be worrying about that girl!" Dosu aimed a punch at his face, but Naruto jumped back to dodge.

Sakura lied on the branch as Kin inspected the inactive explosive tag in her hand. "Hmph. Silly girl. You think you can get me with this?" The Oto nin laughed and crouched down to pick the tag up cautiously, and tore it apart.

Naruto growled, wanting to keep Kin off Sakura, but this mummy boy was being annoying. He thrust his two weapons forward, but in an instant, dropped them as he felt a screaming pain in his ear.

"Arrrrrrgh!"

"Have you felt the aftereffects of my Echo Drill?" Dosu chuckled. "My move enters your ears and attacks from the inside!"

That was all Naruto could hear, as he felt himself going deaf. _This'd better be only temporary, _he thought, jumping forward to land a punch on Dosu.

Dosu dodged with ease, and rammed his own fist up Naruto's chin, earning a cry of pain from the blonde. One kick from the one-eyed Genin sent Naruto toppling from the trees back onto the ground.

* * *

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

"Supersonic Slicing Wave!"

Sasuke shielded his face as he was blown back from the devastating attack. His fireballs had burned out from the impact of the sound waves.

Kabuto, in his hiding spot, observed the battle carefully. _Dosu, Zaku and Kin are all Chunin-level ninja. Your teammates don't stand a chance against them, and you will have to activate your Cursed Seal if you want to beat_ them._ Let's see what you can do with it, Sasuke-kun._

"Graaargh!"

Suddenly, the searing pain was back again. Sasuke clutched his neck, quickly deactivating his Sharingan to ease the pain. Zaku eyed him curiously, but shrugged and placed his hands forward again.

"Slicing Sound Wave!"

Sasuke was blown back into a tree. Groaning, he got back up, making a flurry of hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. Argh!" Before the fireball could rise up his throat, the pain was back. He cut off the Fire Style technique quickly.

_So... it seems the mark acts up whenever I use my Sharingan or ninjutsu! That means..._ Sasuke looked up. _It reacts to my chakra! _

"Die already!" Zaku yelled. "Supersonic Slicing Wave!"

_It can't be helped... I have to... bear the pain! _

"Sharingan!" Sasuke leaped into the air, dodging the sound waves. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The pain returned, and Sasuke tried his best to ignore it as Zaku dived to the side, avoiding the flame. Suddenly, he felt a surge of power. The mark was spreading.

Sasuke's eyes widened as more power and energy shot through his body, the pain going away little by little. However, his gaze was focused on the mark, which was now glowing orange and spreading to his left arm and leg.

"Whatever you're doing..." Zaku stated confidently. "... you'll still die!"

"I will die?" Sasuke's head snapped up to face Zaku. The Oto Genin stepped back, his eyes wide with fear. Sasuke's eyes were filled with insanity. "Let's see!" He cackled.

"Wha-?"

Zaku was kicked to the ground. He looked back, to see Sasuke, grinning madly at him.

"Y-You were there a second ago! How did you-"

"You like these arms very much, huh?" Sasuke's grip on his arms tightened, his foot placed on Zaku's back. "Say goodbye to them then!"

A crack was heard as Zaku shrieked in pain. Sasuke kicked the older boy away, and looked around, intent on finding something to attack and kill.

This worthless, pathetic boy had teammates. Two of them.

With a delighted cackle, Sasuke was about to return to the trees, when he saw Naruto landing in front of him. Dosu landed on his feet soon after.

Sasuke cracked his knuckles, the evil grin on his lips failing to fade.

Within the bushes, Kabuto had an equally evil grin.

* * *

**Apologies for the short chapter, but I really wanted to end this on a cliffhanger sort of thing. Anyway, Sasuke activates his Cursed Seal! In the next chapter, Team Dosu are defeated and Team 7 _finally_ make it to the tower. Stay tuned. **


	18. Chunin Exams: Kabuto's Plan B

**Welcome back.**

**There were no reviews last chapter, unfortunately. **

* * *

"Sasuke?" Naruto frowned. "Is that you?"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sasuke snapped. "Let me kill this fucker alone! Haahahahahaha!" He lunged towards Dosu.

_What is wrong with him?_ Naruto got up, still aching from the fall. He then noticed the black marks on his teammate's arm and leg. _What are those?_

Dosu backed away. _What is this evil chakra? _

"Take..." Sasuke kicked out. "... this!"

A foot connected with Dosu's face, and soon after, the bandaged boy was sent flying a meter back into a tree. Naruto's jaw dropped at the strength.

"Urgh..."

Dosu got back up on his feet, stumbling forward. However, a punch to the face from Sasuke sent him crashing back into the tree. A flurry of punches was delivered to his chest.

Naruto's eyes widened as Dosu started coughing out blood. "Sasuke! That's enough!"

Sasuke ignored his friend, grabbing Dosu's face and tossing him away like a rag doll.

"P-Please..." Dosu was barely able to get up, but he mustered just enough strength to. Revealing a Heaven Scroll from his pocket, Dosu continued. "... let us go. We will give you our scr-!"

He wasn't allowed to finish, as Sasuke kicked him straight in the chest, sending him flying again. "Thanks," the Uchiha's crazed eyes glinted, picking up the scroll and pocketing it.

Clink-clank sounds alerted the two Leaf nin, and they turned to see Kin and Sakura landing on the ground. Sakura had a kunai in one hand, while Kin held senbon.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, ready to jump in, but Sasuke was quicker. In an instant, he was right in front of Kin, kicking her in the face to send her sprawling to the ground.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura stared at the marks on his body.

Naruto's eyes flashed towards Sakura, and realized she now had short hair. _Where did Sakura-chan's hair go? _Before he could ask, Sasuke grabbed Kin by the hair roughly, restraining her.

"Take this, you bitch."

Kin was swung around wildly, with Sasuke grabbing tightly onto her hair. Finally, she was flung into a large rock.

Still dissatisfied, Sasuke charged and grabbed Kin by the face. With a roar, he slammed the girl's body into the ground, roaring with delight as blood flew up to his face.

Groaning, Kin put her hands in front of her desperately.

"Please stop," she begged.

Her response was a punch to her face, knocking her out and drawing more blood.

"You want to kill me, huh? HUH?"

There was a flurry of punches on her face and stomach.

"Who's killing who, now? HUH?"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura ran up to her teammate. "Please, stop!"

She latched onto Sasuke, pushing him away from Kin, and crushed him into a hug.

Something in Naruto's chest tightened, but he shook it off.

The various marks on Sasuke's arm and leg vanished, and all that was left was the original mark on Sasuke's neck. Collapsing onto his knees, he let out a loud gasp as Sakura released her grip on him.

Turning, Sasuke spotted the unconscious Genin he'd beaten up, now half-dead.

"S-Sorry!" He felt the need to apologize.

Naruto started yelling at his friend. "What came onto you?! If Sakura-chan and I weren't around, you would have..."

"I know," Sasuke sighed.

Naruto released his teammate, looking away. "Hmph."

Sakura took in the scene with a weak smile. "At least Sasuke-kun is back. The real Sasuke-kun."

Then, Naruto turned to face Sasuke again. "Sasuke. You haven't answered my question. What came onto you? You... were suddenly so strong... and..."

"I don't know," Sasuke answered genuinely, nervously staring at his feet. "I just felt this power... then I started doing crazy stuff. I think it was the mark."

_What has Orochimaru done to me? _

"We'd better get to the tower fast, and find Itachi-sensei." Sakura suggested.

"Oh yeah. What happened to your hair, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura shrugged. "I... um, that girl was grabbing onto my hair to prevent me from moving. I had to cut it off with a kunai."

"Well, you still look great!" Naruto grinned broadly. Sakura smiled back. If two months ago, someone told her she would be accepting a compliment from Naruto, Sakura would have laughed and punched that someone in the face.

As Team 7 moved through the forest, keeping an eye out for anymore enemy ninja, Sasuke thought back toward the incident.

The mark was giving him power, a lot of power. But it also influenced his consciousness somehow. Sasuke tried to remember his thoughts while under the influence of the mark, and could vaguely recall the intense urge to kill.

Itachi needed to check him out. Fast.

* * *

"You failed."

Kabuto frowned, adjusting his glasses.

"Y-Yeah, we did," Zaku answered shakily. Kabuto had healed his arms as much as he could, but they were still wrapped in a cast. The other two had also been healed with his medical expertise.

Despite expecting this outcome, Kabuto didn't show it. He looked away. "You lost to a bunch of Konoha Genin. Dosu, Zaku, Kin. You three are pathetic."

"We're Genin too!" Zaku yelled defensively.

"Only officially," Kabuto scoffed. Zaku quieted down. He knew the spy was right.

"They didn't seem like Genin though," Dosu spoke up. "The blonde kid and Sasuke Uchiha, at least. They all seemed to be at least Chunin level..." He started coughing violently.

_The blonde kid? _Kabuto raised an eyebrow. _The one called Naruto Uzumaki? Is he that powerful? _

"It seems you have not recovered from the fight. What exactly did Sasuke-kun, I mean... Sasuke. What exactly did he do to you?"

Dosu eyed his superior suspiciously. _Sasuke-kun?_ "He beat us all up."

_Hehe... Orochimaru-sama's Cursed Seal works like a charm._ The bespectacled man smirked. "That's interesting."

"Interesting?" Kin glared at Kabuto in disbelief.

Kabuto ignored her. "How many scrolls do you all have now?"

"Zero."

"Zero?" Kabuto laughed.

Zaku growled.

"I have thirteen here." Kabuto laid out thirteen scrolls. The trio of Oto Genin stared at the collection in awe. Six of them were Heaven Scrolls, while the other seven were Earth Scrolls. "It's amazing how many weak Genin they have running around here."

"Are you trying to reduce the number of people that'll get through to the third exam?"

Kabuto didn't answer, and simply picked out one Heaven Scroll and one Earth Scroll. Dosu took both of them.

"Plan B will be to infiltrate the third exam, and do your best to advance as far as possible. Kill Sasuke Uchiha if you have the chance."

"Pardon me for asking, but why exactly do you want us to kill this Uchiha?" Dosu asked.

"Do not question Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto replied sharply.

Dosu nodded curtly. "One last question."

"What is it?"

"Are you going to be taking part in the third exam?"

Kabuto seemed to contemplate the question for a moment, before shrugging. "We will see. Misumi and Yoroi aren't very interested in this Chunin Exam anyway, and we've gathered all the information we need. Orochimaru-sama will be there personally at the third exam, in disguise obviously, so I don't see any need for the rest of us to be there at all."

"We should get to the tower now," Kin informed her team. Kabuto shook his head.

"Rest for a bit. I won't be giving you scrolls again if you lose those two." He gestured towards the items in Dosu's pocket. When Zaku snorted, Kabuto waved his hand dismissively. "I'll see you all later."

He then disappeared with a Teleportation Jutsu.

"I swear, that bastard gets on my nerves." Zaku growled. "Why is he Orochimaru-sama's right-hand man? He looks as weak as a feather, and he's an asshole too."

"Kabuto is a lot stronger than you think he is," Dosu commented, leaning against a tree. "He's probably at least as strong as a Jonin-level shinobi."

"And how do you know?"

"Orochimaru-sama told me so." Dosu said simply.

Kin spoke from her resting spot. "You know... about Sasuke Uchiha? What do you think were those black marks all over his body?" She could already guess, but wanted to know if her teammates thought the same.

"It's the Cursed Seal. The Cursed Seal of Heaven."

"Cursed Seal?" Zaku spluttered. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Dosu frowned, annoyed that his ability for close observation was being questioned.

"I was thinking the same," Kin admitted worriedly. "But if Orochimaru-sama wanted us to kill him, why would he give him the Cursed Seal?"

Dosu, Zaku and Kin sat in silence for awhile, until the bandaged one of the trio suddenly spoke. "Orochimaru-sama doesn't intend for us to kill him at all."

"Huh?"

"His purpose for us was to simply attack based on the orders of 'kill Sasuke Uchiha', to test his power and the influence of the Cursed Seal on him."

"What?!"

Dosu growled softly. "We were being used."

* * *

"I see the tower!"

"Shhh!" Sasuke shushed his blonde friend, who quickly quietened down. "There could be tons of enemies lying in wait. From here on, we have to be on our guard."

Team 7 had been travelling through the Forest of Death for the entire afternoon, only stopping for the occasional break.

So far, no one had bothered them. It worked out for Sasuke, who didn't want to fight anyone. He didn't want this strange mark to activate itself again.

"I'm a little hungry," Naruto complained.

"Bear with it."

"The last thing we ate was a few berries, and that was five hours ago!" He was annoyed. No ramen for two days could do massive things to him.

"Fine," Sasuke sighed. "But as soon as we eat, it's full speed to the tower."

The trio dropped from the trees onto the ground. They were in luck, as Naruto quickly spotted a river with fish. Hungrily, he dived into the water, intent on catching one.

"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura scolded. "You can't catch a fish like that!"

"Sakura's right, Naruto," Sasuke frowned. "Come up."

"I got one, I got one!"

Naruto grabbed onto a huge fish, but it was slippery. Desperately, he flung the fish towards Sasuke just before he dropped it. Surprised, Sasuke caught the fish and set it on the ground.

"You were saying, Sakura-chan?" Naruto had a cheeky grin on his face.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. Naruto laughed and dived down again, ready to catch more fish.

"I'm going to get some wood," declared Sasuke, and he walked off into the forest. "If I run into an enemy, I'll rush back here immediately, so be on your guard."

"Okay," Sakura smiled, nodding.

"Awwwright!" Naruto yelled, rising up into the air from the water, before sinking down again.

Sasuke was back almost immediately. He set the wood down, and was amused to see three fish on the ground beside him now. Naruto was a natural fisherman.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

With his flames, the Uchiha set a fire with a small fireball. A sharp pain invaded his neck.

Sasuke's eyes widened. _I forgot about that!_

Fortunately, the pain died down after a few seconds. Sasuke's expression turned into one of relief.

_So, the initial pain is a 'warning' kind of thing. If I persist in using the Sharingan or my chakra, the mark begins to break out, and if I continue even after that, I lose control. _

Sakura hummed a happy tune as she threw the fish into the fire, unaware of what had just happened to her teammate.

Naruto arose from the water, throwing one more fish over to Sasuke.

"Good job, man."

"Thanks," Naruto grinned. "Training to perfect the Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance did a lot to help my speed levels."

"And it always helps," Sakura added, smiling. "Itachi-sensei always knows best, huh?" She grabbed onto the tail of a cooked fish.

After a hearty meal where the ever-benevolent Sasuke had given half of his share of the fish to Naruto, Team 7 had their stomachs filled and were ready to continue with their journey to the tower.

It didn't take them long to reach their destination. Naruto let out a yell of excitement as they neared the entrance.

"We're here!" He announced cheerfully.

An Uchiha wasn't one to yell, but Sasuke couldn't help but join his friend.

"We're hereeeee!"

Sakura giggled, putting her arms over her two teammates and leading them towards the door.

It was time for a good break.

* * *

**I was getting a little bored with the Forest of Death, so I'm glad we're finally through with that. The preliminaries for the third exam and the third exam itself was my favorite part of the Chunin Exams Arc so hopefully I can do a good job of writing it down on paper. In the next chapter, Team 7 officially complete the second exam in two out of five days given, and the preliminaries begin. Until next time.**


	19. Sakura's Threat: The Preliminaries Begin

**The third part of the Chunin Exams. Yesss. **

**_Guest_: Yeah, I can. **

**_The True Not Important_: If all the reviewers are as happy as you when they get PM replies from me, I'll only be too happy to send PM replies to everyone :P **

**_Charrmed: _I'm glad Sakura-chan amuses you in this story. She's one of my favorite characters, so naturally I have to make her less bitchy ;)  
**

**I just realized a lot of you like to thank me for updating. To be honest, it's me who should be thankful for so many readers/reviewers. Thank you all. :) **

**Thanks to _The True Not Important, Guest, Akatsuki no Kyara_ and _Charrmed_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"Sasuke-kun... you... are... mine..."

"No!"

"Kukuku..."

"Shut up!"

"Mine... mine... kuku-"

"Fuck you!" Sasuke roared, sitting up and delivering a fierce punch to... the air. Frowning, he was about to throw the covers off, but found that he'd kicked his blankets off the bed.

_What a dream, _he sighed. _Half the time I sleep now, I'm dreaming of Orochimaru. I'm certain it's the mark. Big brother must have a way to suppress it... he must..._

He jumped off and landed on the ground softly, to avoid waking up his teammate. Naruto slept below him in a sweet double-deck consisting of two beds.

Team 7 had completed the test in exactly one-and-a-half day, and as a result, stayed in the tower for the remaining duration of the test, which meant the next three days.

It was now the third day, and finally it was time to move on to the next test of the Chunin Exams.

The tower was pretty good, with food, entertainment and basic necessities. Meals were served, too. Overall, Sasuke couldn't have asked for a better place to stay.

A knock on the door sounded and Sasuke opened it, to see Sakura on the other side.

"Sasuke-kun? Are you and Naruto ready?"

"Ready?" Sasuke frowned.

"Yeah. We have to report to the center of the tower in about an hour."

"An hour?" The Uchiha groaned. "Shit. We overslept."

Sakura gasped. "Is Naruto awake?"

"No, he-"

The pinkette stormed past Sasuke, and walked over to where Naruto was happily snoring away.

Sasuke excused himself nervously, muttering something about getting breakfast.

It was the right move, as the raven-haired boy promptly heard yelling and shouting in his room. Shuddering, Sasuke quickened his pace to the kitchen.

* * *

Naruto sighed in relief as the Third stepped back. He liked the old man, but sometimes he nagged too much for his own good.

The proctor for the third exam stepped up.

"Because there are too many of you, we are going to have preliminaries to shorten the amount of Genin for the third exam, right here, right now." Hayate Gekko revealed. When groans of protest came, Hayate quickly explained how there would be important people like daimyos viewing the third exam.

"What does the important people viewing this third exam have to do with us?" Naruto quizzed, frowning.

"The third exam will be one-on-one fights against one another," Hayate explained, drawing a few "oooh"s from the Genin crowd. "We don't want to bore the audience by having too many people fight. That would take up at least a whole day."

Itachi and the other Jonin sensei chose to strode in at this time. Sasuke smiled as he saw his older brother, and noticed how firm and serious his expression was.

_Has he found out about my mark?_

Naruto looked behind him to observe the Genin who'd passed.

The three Sand ninja they'd encountered before, as well as the three rookie teams, including Team 7, were among the Genin crowd. Lee and his teammates were also present.

The Sound team that had tried to attack them in the Forest of Death stood behind the rookie teams. Last but not least was a team from Kusagakure that Naruto couldn't recognize.

"Oh, by the way. From here on out, you're on your own - so, if you decide to quit, your teammates won't be implicated." Hayate spoke. "Anyone?"

"I... I want to quit!"

"Me too."

"Hazuko Minamoto and Kenshin Tsuda." Hayate nodded. "You're free to go."

Naruto turned in surprise to see two of the Kusa Genin walking away to the exit of the tower. Why would they quit at this time? Their teammate, a redheaded female, looked nervous without being in their presence.

The blonde couldn't help but look at her closely. Although he was certain they'd never met before, he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity towards this particular girl. Maybe it was because of her hair. It was bright red, a hair color he'd never seen before.

Then again, Sakura had pink hair.

This particular Kusa girl also had glasses on. Naruto briefly wondered if the glasses would implicate her during a battle.

"The preliminaries will start immediately," Hayate started coughing, and pointed to an small electric board as he did so. "This board... cough... will determine who you fight."

"Will people die?"

Hayate turned to look at the Genin who had posed the question. It was a certain whiskered blonde.

"Probably. But I will step in and stop the match if I think the winner has done enough."

He started trembling.

The coughing man raised an eyebrow. Was he scared?

"Alright!" Naruto yelled excitedly. "Let's get it on!"

A small smirk formed on Hayate's face. _Trembling in excitement, eh..._

_Naruto..._ The Third smiled. _It will be interesting to see how you've progressed._

The board began flickering, and finally it stopped.

"Sakura Haruno vs Karin." Hayate read out, and started coughing again.

_Me?_ Sakura's jaw dropped. _I never thought I would be up first._

"Go for it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled.

"Do your best, Sakura." Sasuke was more reserved, but smiled and nodded. This was enough motivation for Sakura.

_Alright! I've gotta win this battle! Cha! _

"The two aforementioned names, please stay here. Everyone else will go up... Cough... cough."

With the arena free of anyone except Hayate, Sakura and Karin, the sickly examiner nodded.

"You may begin."

Neither Sakura or Karin moved. Both waited to get a reaction out of the opposite party, but finally, Sakura decided to move first.

_I'm not the battle type,_ Karin gulped. _I don't have much of a chance to win a fight if it isn't a team battle, but this pinky doesn't look that strong too. I have to try._

Sakura got out three shuriken, and tossed them towards Karin.

The redhead dodged the throwing stars, just as Sakura attacked her with a kunai. Drawing out her own, the two girls engaged in a short kunai battle, but eventually Karin kicked Sakura away.

Her grip on the kunai tightening, Karin flung it at Sakura. Dropping low, the pinkette managed to duck as the kunai swished over her.

_From what I've seen so far, we both don't have any special jutsu. _Sakura analyzed. _I only have the Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu but it isn't for battle. Unless..._

Sakura swung to the left to avoid a thrown kunai, and winced as the short weapon managed to nick some of the flesh in her right elbow.

_If I can scare her enough and threaten to behead her after she's caught in my jutsu or something... then maybe she'll give up, and I'll win. Is that worth a shot? I'm not exactly the beheading type..._

Another kunai flew over her head.

_Bah. It's worth a shot. Now I just have to find a good time to execute the Headhunter Jutsu._

Sakura looked up to see Karin charging at her. A fist was thrown, and Sakura was hit in the cheek.

Not one to be a sitting duck, Sakura recovered quickly and punched Karin right in the face. _Bullseye, _she thought smugly, and kneed the redhead in the stomach.

Groaning in pain, Karin collapsed to the ground.

Whipping out a kunai, Sakura was about to press it to Karin's neck as a threat, but unfortunately, Karin had other plans. She swiftly made a single hand seal.

_A hand seal? Is she going to use a technique?_ Sakura pulled her arm back.

"Mugenhoyo!"

A pink beam of light surrounded Sakura, and she found herself unable to move.

_What... is this?_

"Woah. Billboard Brow's caught in that weird jutsu," Ino commented.

"This fight is boring," Choji complained.

"It'll get interesting soon! Just you watch!" Naruto yelled defensively.

Sasuke stood behind Naruto, watching the battle. _What's that technique? _

"Sasuke."

Said Genin turned, to see his brother. Itachi smiled at him, nodding.

"Oh... big brother."

"How was your time in the Forest of Death?"

"Uh..." Sasuke chuckled nervously. "Pretty bad." He gestured towards the mark.

"I know," Itachi placed a hand on the mark. "Does it hurt?"

"Ouch."

"I presume it does." The Jonin withdrew his hand.

"What are we going to do about it?" Sasuke asked nervously.

Itachi turned to keep his eyes on the battle. "We'll talk about it after these preliminaries are done."

In the arena, Sakura was in a bit of a tight spot. She willed herself to move, but she just couldn't.

Naruto frowned. "Itachi-sensei. What's this Mugenhoyo thing?"

Itachi cast his gaze towards the pink beam of light surrounding his pink-haired student. "I've read about it in books. The Mugenhoyo is a kind of chakra absorption technique that serves to paralyze. However, the main nature of this jutsu..." Itachi paused, just to let himself feel amused at Naruto's impatient expression. "... is how it can drain it's target's chakra away."

"So it's a paralysis jutsu as well as a chakra absorption jutsu," Sasuke concluded.

"Yes."

"Isn't Sakura-chan in big, big trouble then?"

"Technically," Itachi nodded. "But if she's mentally strong enough, she will be able to break out of this."

_I... I feel weaker..._ Sakura struggled. _What is she doing to me?_

"This jutsu drains your chakra," Karin revealed. "Just a few more minutes and you'll pass out from chakra exhaustion."

_So that's why I'm starting to feel weak._ Sakura growled. _There must be a way to break out of this... I have to try. _She closed her eyes, hoping it would bring her better concentration and focus. _I just have to channel as many chakra as I can to my limbs..._

"Are you trying to break out of this?" Karin grinned. "The Mugenhoyo is classified as an A-Rank jutsu. It's almost impossible to break out of if you don't have perfect chakra control..."

Sakura's eyes flew open. "Let's see about that."

Karin snorted. "You can't do anything else. Just give up and you won't pass out."

"No."

"Fine."

Itachi smirked. "Unfortunately for you, Sakura has perfect chakra control." He said softly.

True to her sensei's words, Sakura suddenly disappeared.

"Where did she go?" Karin frowned, adjusting her glasses as the technique ended. _Did she break out of my technique? The Mugenhoyo? _

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" A muffled voice called from beneath.

"Oh no!" Karin screamed as a hand reached out from the ground to grab her ankle. She felt herself being pulled down, and suddenly, Sakura's toes were right in front of her face.

"Well done, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled from the sidelines.

Crouching down, Sakura got out a kunai, positioning it at Karin's throat. "How does it feel to be paralyzed, huh?"

Growling, Karin answered honestly. "Bad. It feels bad."

Satisfied with the answer, Sakura carefully let the little weapon dance across her opponent's throat. Inner Sakura screamed in victory as she heard Karin starting to shiver.

"Please... don't kill me..."

"Give up, and I won't."

There was a moment of hesitation, but Sakura decided to encourage her by playing with the kunai around her throat.

"Y-Yes! I give up! Just don't kill me!"

Smiling, Sakura got up, pocketing the kunai. Immediately, she knew she would never belong in the village's Torture and Interrogation Force. Just threatening to kill someone had made her sick to the stomach.

"Winner: Sakura Haruno!"

* * *

**Who do you think should be paired up against one another? There are 17 people left, and 1 of them is going to pass the preliminaries without fighting someone - who do you think that should be? In the next chapter, the preliminaries continue. See you all then! **


	20. Lee's Youth: Overcoming the Sand

**More battles! Woo! **

**Should I skip some of the less important fights, or should I write all of them down? **

**P.S. I've already got clear ideas on who I want Naruto to fight, but not for the rest of the Genin. Feel free to drop suggestions!**

**_pharix_: I don't know, to be honest. For now, she's just a 'appear in one chapter, two chapters' kind of character.  
**

**_Aurora-chan_: I'm glad you find her amazing! :)  
**

**Thanks to ****_pharix, Blood-red Moonlight, Aurora-chan_ and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"You did a great job, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura grinned, as she walked up the stairs to see her team. Itachi smiled and nodded in agreement.

"The Mugenhoyo is not something easy to break out of. You did well, Sakura."

"I hope it's me next round..." Naruto fixed his gaze on the electric board.

"Hey, maybe you and I can fight," Sasuke smirked.

"You'll get beaten in a heartbeat!"

"Don't count on it! Heh."

Karin walked up the stairs as well, standing in the corner alone. Naruto looked over and frowned. The girl seemed lonely. His first instinct was to go up and talk to the redhead but the flickering of the electric board brought his attention back.

Finally, it stopped.

Hayate looked up.

"Gaara Sabaku vs Rock Lee."

"Alright!" Lee shrieked. "It's my turn! Please watch me, Guy-sensei!"

"That I will, Lee! Do your best and burn with the Flames of Youth!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-"

Tenten picked Lee up, and shoved her teammate to the first floor with irritation. Swiftly, the green-clad Genin did a few twists in mid-air to land on his feet.

"That was a most unyouthful thing to do, Tenten!" Lee complained.

The weapons mistress face-palmed. "Please, Lee, just shut up and focus on your battle."

Gaara observed the scene with amusement, before jumping down to the first floor to face Lee. He held a small smile on his face and nodded.

"My name is Gaara Sabaku. Nice to meet you."

"And I am Rock Lee! It will be a pleasure to fight you!"

Kankuro smirked. "That guy looks pretty energetic, but he has no chance against Gaara. His hopes will be shattered. Dreams will be crushed. Muahahaha!"

Temari rolled her eyes as her brother began laughing evilly.

Lee got into the Strong Fist stance. _I know nothing about Gaara's abilities or jutsu, so it looks like I have to be cautious until I find out!_

"Hwaaaaaa! Youth!" Guy shrieked. "Go on, Lee!"

"This will be interesting, don't you think, Naruto?" Sasuke looked at Lee.

Naruto agreed with a fierce nod. "Both of them look strong!"

Sakura turned to Itachi. "Say, Itachi-sensei. All the Jonin sensei are supposed to be here with their Genin teams, right?"

"Why, yes," Itachi nodded in surprise. "Why do you ask, Sakura?"

"Well..." She glanced over to Team 8. Kiba, Hinata and Shino were watching the battle quietly, only talking among themselves. "I don't see a Jonin sensei with Hinata's team."

"Oh."

"Oh?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

Itachi chuckled. "Team 8's Jonin sensei is this man called Kakashi. He's always really late for these kind of things. I presume he'll be appearing any moment now."

"He's frequently late? And he's a Jonin?" Sakura's brows furrowed with distaste.

Laughing softly, Itachi nodded. "He's a very strong ninja though."

In the arena, Hayate brought his hand down.

"Begin!"

Lee instantly disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Gaara frowned, looking around.

_Swish._

Lee gasped as sand rose to defend his target. The bushy-browed boy was behind Gaara, his fist thrust forward, but instead of connecting with the back of Gaara's head, his fist was encased in sand.

Pulling his hand out, Lee jumped back. Gaara turned around.

"Good moves there," the Suna Genin commented.

"Thank you!" Lee replied, getting back into the stance of the Strong Fist. _So he can manipulate sand..._

Itachi studied Gaara's gourd with interest. Sand was now pouring out of it. _Is this a Kekkei Genkai? I've never heard of a 'Sand Style' before. How is he doing this with the sand?_

"Sand Shuriken!"

Small bits of the sand broke off and shaped themselves into shuriken. Gaara thrust his arm forward, and the Sand Shuriken flew towards Lee, who dodged them with ease.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee leaped into the air, delivering a series of kicks.

To his shock, the wall of sand drew up to block his attack again. Pulling his legs back from the sand, Lee attacked once more.

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!"

More kicks were delivered this time, but Gaara's sand blocked every single one of them. Slowly, the sand crept onto Lee's right leg, and when he tried to pull away, the sand tightened it's grip.

Gaara raised his hand, and in turn, the sand pulled Lee up into the air. The sand-controlling Genin then jerked his hand backwards, and the sand tossed Lee into the wall.

"Come on, Lee! Youth!" Guy roared.

Getting back up on his feet, Lee charged.

"Sand Shuriken!"

Dodging the army of shuriken, Lee attacked again. He punched wildly, but the sand protected Gaara with every single punch. Frustrated, Lee vanished and appeared behind Gaara.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Before Gaara even had time to turn, the sand had already caught hold of Lee's legs and tossed him away again.

"Sand Shower." A cloud of sand formed above Gaara. Lee got up, to see another army of small sand lumps rushing towards him from the cloud. He moved fast enough to dodge the most of it, but some hit him in the arm.

_Ouch!_ Lee winced. The small harmless-looking sand lumps had created bruises.

"Give up," Gaara suggested. "You won't be able to win against me."

_Give up? _Lee glared hard at the ground. _That would be the most unyouthful thing to do!_

"I am not a quitter!" He declared. Looking towards Guy with a questioning look, Lee was delighted when his sensei nodded. Reaching for his ankles, he released the leg weights.

Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"It is time for me to fight you seriously!" Lee dropped the weights, and everyone within the room were stunned as the impact of the weights on the ground created a large crater.

"I-Impossible," Sakura choked on her saliva.

"If he's that fast with those troublesome weights..." Shikamaru frowned.

A moment passed, and Gaara was thrown onto the ground.

"What?!" Kankuro's eyes widened.

The next moment, Gaara was hauled into the air and punched into a wall.

_His movements..._ Itachi thought. _Even my Sharingan can't read_ _them. _

All the witnesses could only see a blurry flash as Lee attacked Gaara mercilessly.

Finally thinking his opponent was finished, Lee stopped his assault. Gaara laid on the ground, seemingly unconscious, in front of him. Smiling with glee, the taijutsu specialist pumped his fist into the air.

However, to his dismay, Gaara got back up.

The redhead's skin now had numerous cracks in it, and Lee watched closely in disbelief.

_You won't be able to beat Gaara's Absolute Defence,_ Temari thought, folding her arms.

"You are a very interesting opponent," Gaara spoke. "The first person who has ever landed a hit on me... is you."

Itachi blinked in surprise. _Who exactly is this guy? _

"I accept that honor with pleasure!" Lee jumped back as sand shot forward to attack him. "Guy-sensei! It appears I must use the Eight Gates!"

Guy hesitated for a moment, but gestured towards Gaara. "Use it youthfully, Lee!"

"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee shrieked with enthusiasm.

"The Eight Gates?" Gaara had a questioning look on his face.

"Gate of Opening, open!" Lee screamed.

_Guy, you..._ Itachi's jaw hung open. _You taught him the Eight Gates! _

Immediately feeling strength in every part of his body, Lee disappeared, and in a flash, appeared right in front of Gaara.

"Hyaaa!"

The Sand Shield rose to block off Lee's kick, but unfortunately for Gaara it was three seconds late. The youngest of the Sabaku felt himself thrown into the air as a result of the kick's impact.

"This move..." Sasuke rubbed his chin, remembering Lee's short spar with him before the exams.

Reappearing behind Gaara in mid-air, Lee proceeded to wrap the bandages on his wrists around Gaara. The redhead didn't even have time to struggle.

"What are you doing?"

"Preparing a finishing move," Lee answered truthfully.

Gaara's eyes narrowed at the response.

Lee twisted Gaara upside-down.

Itachi looked on as Lee started spinning Gaara around like a top. _A finishing move, alright. No normal ninja should be able to continue a fight after being hit by this technique._

"Primary Lotus!"

Lee slammed Gaara's head straight onto the ground.

A cloud of smoke was the result of the impact, and it covered the arena. Naruto squinted to see if Gaara was defeated yet.

_So that's what he was going to do to me, until that big turtle stopped him,_ Sasuke shivered. _Thank my lucky stars the turtle showed up. Whew! _

When the smoke cleared, Lee was in the corner, panting wildly. He collapsed to his knees. The strength in his body had turned to pain. Guy watched on in worry.

"I... I did it..."

Guy smiled.

"I... I... I beat..."

The last of the smoke disintegrated, and to everyone's shock, Gaara still stood. His body now had cracks everywhere.

The cracks broke off to reveal sand underneath. As the sand poured away, the real Gaara emerged.

"You've done well to completely break off the Sand Armor," Gaara commented.

"What? T-This is impossible!"

Kankuro grinned. "This match is Gaara's."

"He's still an impressive kid," Temari looked down at Lee, who was staring at Gaara in disbelief. "To be able to bypass the Sand Shield, and break the Sand Armor. I think it'll be a long time before anyone repeats that feat."

Gaara waved his hand and more sand came rushing out of his gourd. "Unfortunately, since my armor has been broken, I'll be forced to finish this quickly."

The sand took the shape of a giant hand.

Guy had a grim look on his face. Itachi turned to him.

"Guy-san," he started politely.

"Please! I have told you a hundred times! Just call me Guy!" Even in his pupil's dire situation, Guy couldn't resist showing off his 'nice guy' pose to Itachi. Team 7's captain resisted the growing urge to roll his eyes.

"Guy-san," Itachi repeated. "How many of the Eight Gates did you teach him to open?"

Guy had a sheepish look on his face. "Uh... five?"

"Right... wait, five?" Itachi frowned. "... Nevermind."

_Guy-sensei!_ Lee stared at the sand-constructed hand flying towards him. _You said to only use the rest of the Eight Gates when I am trying to protect my precious people, or in a life-or-death situation!_

Willing himself to move, Lee jumped away as the hand slammed into the wall behind him.

_I want to prove myself! To prove I can become a capable ninja without the use of ninjutsu! _Lee forced himself to the ground. The hand flew over him, and he desperately crawled away. _That is my precious dream, and I want to protect it! _

"Gate of Rest! Open!"

Gaara blinked, but continued his assault on his opponent. Lee felt re-energized within a matter of seconds, and easily avoided the hand. He charged towards Gaara, dealing a punch to his face.

"It's my turn!" Lee roared. "Severe Leaf Hurricane!" Launching into a series of kicks, he was rewarded with the sight of Gaara's bloodied face. His final kick sent Gaara crashing into the wall.

There was an explosion of rubble and smoke.

"Gaara!" Temari yelled.

His mouth wide open in shock, Kankuro couldn't say a word.

"Go, Bushy Brows!" Naruto cheered.

Emerging from the smoke was three Gaaras. All three were equally bruised and bloodied. One was lodged into the wall, looking weak, and the other two in front got into a stance, ready to defend the original.

"It's Gaara's Sand Clone Jutsu," Temari noted.

"A youthful strategy!" Lee remarked. "You send your clones at me so you can rest and recuperate while I'm occupied with these two." He looked over at the two Sand Clones. "But I'm not letting you have the chance!"

Gaara made no attempt to reply, instead panting heavily.

"Gate of Life! Open! Gate of Pain! Open!"

Sasuke looked on, feeling a little fearful as green chakra poured out from Lee's body. The taijutsu expert's skin had turned red, and his bowl-shaped hairstyle was flaring up.

"What did he do to himself? What is this power?"

This was the exact same question that passed through the minds of everyone present, except for Lee's teammates of course. Neji had an emotionless look as usual while Tenten felt the slightest bit of worry for her teammate.

"Gate of Closing! Open!"

_That's the last gate I can open. It's time!_

In a flash, Lee had gotten past the two Sand Clones, and forcibly dragged the original Gaara out from the wall.

One of the clones descended upon Lee, but he responded with a swift kick to his face, and the clone disappeared into sand.

"What... what are you going to... do now?" Gaara questioned.

"I'm going to win!" Lee screamed into his face, overwhelmed by the massive power running throughout his entire body. "Take.. this!" He flung Gaara into the air.

Gaara felt someone punching him in the abdomen. He was flung backwards and a fist connected with his face and chest. He was being tossed around in mid-air like a rag doll.

"At this rate, Gaara's going to...!" Kankuro turned, to see Baki watching the match.

If Gaara was defeated now, the original plan couldn't continue.

Sensing his student's thoughts, Baki nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry. Gaara won't be defeated."

The sight of the arena told a different story though. Lee's inhuman speed was assisting him in beating Gaara up with a flurry of punches. Finally ready to execute the final part of his move, Lee wrapped his bandages around Gaara once more.

Pulling the battered Gaara towards him, Lee struck his opponent with a punch and a kick.

"Hidden Lotus!"

Gaara instantly slammed into the ground, conjuring up a crater larger than when Lee had dropped his weights.

Landing on the ground as well, Lee felt his energy and strength leaving him, to be replaced by immense pain. Groaning, he collapsed onto his knees once more.

_I... can't... go unconscious... not now!_ He looked forward. _I... I hope he's not... dead... he was a most youthful opponent...! _

"Sand Coffin."

"What?" Lee looked down, to see sand creeping up his legs. Feeling too tired to move, the Leaf Genin could do nothing to resist, as sand encased his entire body, leaving only his face on the outside.

Gaara stood before Lee, his hand held up.

"No... why are you... how are... how are you..." Lee gasped.

His eyes flew towards the gigantic crater, and his eyes widened in horror.

Instead of Gaara, was a large puddle of sand, lying in the middle of the crater.

"T-Then you are...!" Lee turned back to the Gaara in front of him.

"Yes. I'm the original!"

"But... how?"

Gaara had a victorious smile on his face. "The Sand Clone was the one lying against the wall. Me and my other clone stood in front. I knew you would assume the one in the wall was the original!"

Baki smiled, as both Kankuro and Temari sighed in relief.

"No... way..." Guy was stunned.

"So... that's... why..." Lee panted.

"Yes. Your finishing blow was dealt to a Sand Clone." Gaara raised his arm, and Lee felt the sand around him flying higher up, leading in his trapped body going upwards as well.

Sasuke nodded, understanding. "So he did it while he was covered by the smoke."

"This guy's a genius!" Naruto yelled.

Gaara heard the compliment, and grinned. He then looked up at Lee. "Give up."

Lee hesitated.

"Once I ball this hand into a fist..." Gaara explained. "... you'll be crushed."

"Lee!" Guy screamed. "It is most unyouthful, but please, give up!" He did not want to see his precious student getting killed. Lee stared at Guy for a moment, and a tear leaked down his eye.

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-"

"So do you give up, or not?"

"Oh... uh... I..." Lee sighed. "I... give up."

Smiling, Gaara relaxed his hand. The sand disappeared, and Lee was about to fall to the ground, but the redhead caught his Konoha counterpart and laid him carefully on the floor.

"You put up a good fight."

"Thank... you... uhhhh." Finally succumbing to the pain, Lee passed out.

"Medic!" Guy roared, as he leaped down into the arena, carrying Lee up.

"Winner: Gaara Sabaku!"

* * *

**And that is Gaara vs Lee. I tried to make the battle go off-canon as much as I could. If you didn't notice in Chapter 11 - Arrival: Ninja from the Sand, Gaara is not as bloodthirsty as he is in canon for reasons I will reveal later on in the story. That's why he doesn't try to kill Lee this time, and that's good, isn't it? We all love a non-bloodthirsty Gaara. **

**In the next chapter, the preliminaries continue, as usual. I will try to make two matches per chapter if I can, just to reduce the amount of chapters I'm going to use for the preliminaries. Everyone is free to give suggestions on who should fight who. **

**Until next time.**


	21. Taijutsu Time: Fall of the Sound

**Why doesn't anyone has suggestions for who to fight? :/ **

**Welcome back to another chapter of _Team Itachi. _**

**_Yo_: After going through your review for probably the sixth or seventh time I've heeded your advice and rewrote the part against Kin and the Sound Trio. Thank you for the input. And no, I'm not exactly offended :P  
**

**_TheOrangeStar802:_ It's great to finally see someone saying "I thought this was going to be canon, but it wasn't" instead of "this is so identical to canon!". Hehe.  
**

**_Charrmed: _I'm pretty sure it was Tenten and not Ino who did the pushing! Hehe. Your Neji vs Sasuke idea is rather interesting but unfortunately I finished this chapter 5 minutes before reading your review. Anyway, I have other plans for Neji! ;) thanks for the review!  
**

**Thanks to _Yo, Aurora-chan, TheOrangeStar802_ and _Charrmed_ for the**** reviews! **

* * *

"Dosu Kinuta vs Kankuro Sabaku! Please come down to the arena!"

"My turn," Dosu smiled beneath his bandaged face, and leaped down towards the arena.

Kankuro did the same.

"Meh. I don't know any of these guys," Naruto put his hands behind his head.

"Still, it'll be good to see what the Genin of other villages can do," Sakura advised. She looked towards Dosu. "I didn't know the bandaged guy was still participating..."

"Yeah, after Sasuke beat him up so bad..." Naruto frowned.

Sasuke twitched at the mention, but said nothing.

Hayate paused for awhile to see if both parties wanted to exchange any pre-match banter. When they didn't say a word, the coughing proctor nodded.

"Begin."

"Let's see what you can do," Kankuro cracked his knuckles. He started unwrapping the bundle on his back.

Dosu attacked first, swinging a fist. Kankuro's hands left the bundle, as he blocked the punch.

Smirking, Dosu released his signature move.

"What is this noise?" Naruto complained, stuffing his fingers into his ears. He saw that the rest of the audience were doing the same. In the arena, Kankuro had a pained expression on his face as Dosu worked his magic.

To the one-eyed boy's surprise, instead of blood, various cracks appeared in Kankuro's ear.

Dosu swung a kick at the distracted Kankuro, knocking him to the ground. Again, instead of blood, there were cracks on the Suna Genin's cheek.

"Who the hell are you?" Dosu demanded, as Kankuro got back up. He used the Echo Drill again, and this time, Kankuro's other ear cracked.

Laughing in a funny manner, the rest of 'Kankuro' broke off to reveal a hideous-looking humanoid. Naruto gasped. 'Kankuro' now had spiky hair, three eyes and four arms.

From the bundle emerged the real Kankuro, laughing. "Everyone falls for that. Everyone, I tell you!"

As Dosu growled at Kankuro, Naruto turned towards Itachi. "Itachi-sensei. What's that... weird looking thing?"

Itachi studied the humanoid with interest. "That's a puppet. So this guy's a puppeteer. Interesting."

"A puppet?" Naruto frowned.

"You will see what it can do," Itachi gestured towards the arena.

"So you're a puppeteer." Dosu observed the puppet.

Kankuro waved his fingers, and the puppet moved towards Dosu. "I'll let you have a taste on what Crow can do!"

Crow opened it's mouth, shooting several senbon. One stabbed into Dosu's arm, and his single eye widened as he found something purple on the tip of the senbon.

"This match has been decided," Kankuro smirked, moving his fingers again. Scythe blades shot out from Crow's torso, and the puppet shot towards Dosu. "But I guess, just for fun, I'll kill you before the poison takes effect."

"So I was correct..." Dosu frowned. "That was poison."

Temari shook her head. "What is Kankuro doing?" She hissed softly to Gaara. "He shouldn't be revealing all of his secret techniques before the invasion starts!"

"Let it go, Temari," Gaara shrugged. "He's having fun."

Crow's scythes swung onto Dosu, but he jumped away, and the blades sank into the ground.

_As much as I hate to admit it, I don't stand a chance of winning, _Dosu thought. _I've been injected with poison, and the Echo Drill will do nothing to that annoying puppet. I'd be better off giving up now. _

"I give up!" He announced, just in time as one of the scythes stopped right in front of his chest.

"Good choice," Kankuro jerked his arm backwards, and Crow returned back to it's owner. The scythes disappeared back into the puppet's body.

Hayate nodded, gesturing to Kankuro. "Winner: Kankuro Sabaku."

* * *

"That was quick," Naruto blinked. "I wonder who's going up next? Maybe it's me? Heh heh!"

The electric board began the usual flickering. Naruto kept his keen eyes fixed on the board, and when it stopped, looked away in disappointment. It wasn't him!

Then, his head snapped back to the board as he realized who it was.

"Sasuke Uchiha vs Kin Tsuchi. Will these two Genin come down please?"

"It's time for Sasuke-kun to show his sexiness!" Ino announced excitedly.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled into the Uchiha's ear, patting him on the back. "You better win this one!"

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura smiled. "Do your best."

Sasuke grinned. "So it's my turn, huh?"

A hand on his shoulder made him look back.

"Sasuke..." Itachi frowned. "Don't use the Sharingan, or ninjutsu. You got me?"

"Big brother..." Sasuke sighed. "Right, I won't." He stepped down towards the arena.

Kin jumped into the arena. _So it's Sasuke Uchiha. _She shuddered as she thought of how Sasuke had taken care of their entire team under the influence of the Cursed Seal. _Let's hope he won't do that again._

"My apologies for... um, almost killing you that time," Sasuke said awkwardly, getting into a taijutsu stance.

"You're apologizing for killing?" Kin raised an eyebrow.

"Sorta, yeah," Sasuke replied lamely.

Hayate looked between the two of them and nodded, bringing his raised hand down.

"Begin."

Kin immediately got out three senbon, flinging them towards Sasuke.

"Hurrh!" Sasuke ducked and flashed towards Kin, kicking her in the face. Whipping out a kunai, he launched into a flurry of kicks and slashes. Kin narrowly avoided half of them.

_Seems like she's the weakest in her team, _Sasuke observed.

Jumping a considerable distance away, Kin flung more senbon, watching as Sasuke dodged the needles with ease. _He seems to be using only taijutsu. So I just have to maintain a distance from him._

Getting out her bell-attached senbon, she threw the needles.

"Is senbon all you can use?" Sasuke said with annoyance, knocking the needles away with his kunai. Then he blinked. In front of him were now multiple Kins.

_Genjutsu?_

Suddenly, there was a harsh ringing in his ears.

He covered his ears but the ringing got louder, and he screamed in agony as his eardrums were messed with.

Pain shot through his abdomen, and he looked down to discover four senbon sticking into his stomach. Suddenly, a senbon stabbed into his shoulder.

_I need to get out of this!_

A senbon struck him on his other shoulder. His hand leaving his ear to pull out all the senbon, the ringing only got harsher.

_Calm down, Sasuke._

Another senbon hit him in the arm.

_Calm. Calm. All you have to do is to hit the user of this, and the ringing will stop. _

_But which one is the real one?_ He looked up, to see the multiple Kins were still there. _I'm sorry, big brother. Looks like I have to use this._

"Sharingan!"

Black pupils turned red and now with a fixed target, Sasuke leaped forward with a battle cry, punching Kin in the cheek. It was a strong one, and Kin was knocked to the ground.

_Damn it, Sasuke,_ Itachi bit his lip. _Please, don't use the Sharingan! _

The pain from the Cursed Seal returned, and Sasuke winced, swiftly deactivating his Sharingan.

Getting up, Kin gripped onto a senbon in her hand, and used it as a weapon. She slashed wildly, but Sasuke dropped down and threw himself forward into Kin's legs, sending the Oto nin tumbling down again.

Groaning, Kin picked herself up.

Seeing that his opponent refused to quit, Sasuke leaped forward again, launching into a flurry of punches. Kin jumped to the side and managed to get a lucky shot, stabbing her senbon into Sasuke's shoulder.

Turning swiftly, Sasuke roundhouse-kicked the Genin girl to send her flying, before pulling out the senbon from his shoulder and tossing it to the ground.

_These senbon don't hurt as much as I thought. I just have to keep any of it from going close to my neck._

As if his thoughts had been read, three senbon flew towards his neck, and Sasuke narrowly escaped by using shuriken to stop the oncoming needles.

Ringing invaded the Uchiha's ears again, and Sasuke frowned, quickly covering his ears. Senbon with bells attached flashed past him, and he relaxed when the ringing stopped.

To his surprise, three senbon pierced him in the shoulders and one brushed past his cheek.

_How did I not sense that?_

Pulling out the senbon, he swiftly charged towards Kin, closing the distance between them. He couldn't use any long-range attacks for this match, after all.

More bell-ringing senbon flew towards him, and Sasuke did a somersault into the air elegantly, dodging the needles in the process. Suddenly, two senbon struck his cheek.

"Next time I won't miss your neck," Kin assured, as Sasuke pulled out the senbon and addressed the blood dripping down his cheeks.

_Is she using some sort of technique to ensure I won't detect the senbon? _

More ringing sounded as the bells-attached senbon flew past again. Sasuke turned his head.

It took him a moment to make the connections, and on instinct, activated his Sharingan. He was two seconds early, and just managed to avoid the needles bound for his neck.

"So the first set of senbon you threw had bells attached to them," Sasuke concluded. "And then you threw more senbon right after while I was distracted by the ringing."

"Tsk." Kin mentally sighed. She was so close, too.

"Urkk!" His hands going up to his neck, Sasuke felt the Cursed Seal spreading.

Anko watched from the third floor of the room, a floor above the Genin and Jonin audience. She turned to the Third Hokage, who was beside her.

"Hokage-sama," she warned.

"I know," Hiruzen stared at Sasuke.

"Then...?"

"Just wait, Anko," the Sandaime advised. "Sasuke is strong enough."

Itachi started panicking, and was about to jump in.

However, true to the Hokage's words, Sasuke put all his will into stopping the Cursed Seal. Forcibly, it stopped it's spreading and returned to being only a simple mark on the neck.

Deactivating his Sharingan again, Sasuke went for his target.

_I think I've figured out all her tricks. This match is mine._

Kin got into a stance, desperately wondering what she could do. Her taijutsu was basic level at best, and with this troublesome Uchiha kid figuring out all her tricks, she already knew what this match's outcome would be.

A punch to her face pulled her back to reality. Kin felt herself knocked to the floor and sliding backwards.

Sasuke pulled out a kunai and positioned it at her neck before she could do anything more.

"Give up," he suggested.

Kin sighed. She couldn't do anything more.

"I give up."

Hayate coughed, and nodded, showing he'd heard. Sasuke got off Kin, helping her up with a smile.

"You fought well."

Making no attempt to thank her opponent, Kin swung around and walked back up the stairs to join her teammates. Sasuke rolled his eyes. He disliked sore losers.

"Winner: Sasuke Uchiha!"

* * *

**It wasn't that much of a good chapter in my opinion, but at least I've cleared four battles already! As always, every reader is free to leave feedback on who should fight who. Until next time! **


	22. Naruto's Determination: Defying Destiny

**The time we have all been waiting for is here. Yes. This chapter will be dedicated to Naruto's battle! I originally wanted to push everyone's favorite blonde's battle back a bit further, but I can't resist the temptation anymore. **

**_Guest_: I was a little skeptical of changing the scene because you were the only one who complained about it. I only changed the scene after you brought up those vital points, and I felt they were rather correct.**

**_The True Not Important_: To be honest, I only came up with a nice Gaara because I dislike the bloodthirsty Gaara! But do share with me your ideas about this, and I might incorporate it into this. :)  
**

**_Pyr00tje_: Whut?  
**

**_Charrmed_: It means a lot that someone thinks highly of my battle-writing skills. Thank you!  
**

**_Swordianspeed_: Yes, she is! All in all, if you put Karin in a one-on-one battle it would be a tad bit boring to write because she has little to no offensive jutsu at all, so I settled on a chakra absorption jutsu for her.  
**

**Thanks to ****_Guest, The True Not Important, merry1995, Pyr00tje, Charrmed_ and _Swordianspeed_for the reviews!**

* * *

Naruto glared at the board in anticipation.

_You better have my name now, board. _

_Please? _

_My name! Come on!_

_I know you're a nice, kind board, Mr. Board. Please. _

From within Naruto, the Nine-Tailed Fox viewed his foolish container's thoughts in amusement.

The board finally stopped.

Naruto slowly opened his closed eyes.

"Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga. Please come down to the arena."

"Yesssss!" Naruto cheered. "It's my turn!"

"Go for it, Naruto," Itachi smiled at his student.

"Show everyone you're not the dead last they think you are!" Sasuke added.

"We've gotten through to the preliminaries! You better join us!" Sakura mock-threatened, grinning at Naruto.

"Don't worry about that!" Naruto shot his teammates and sensei a thumbs-up. "I'll definitely be beating this Neji Hyuga guy or whatever!"

Itachi's expression turned serious. "Naruto. No matter what you do, don't let this guy hit you. Avoid all his attacks. You got me?"

Naruto frowned. "How am I supposed to go on the offensive if I keep being defensive?"

Itachi sighed. "Just trust me, Naruto. You won't want to get hit by a Hyuga."

Before Naruto could question further, Hayate called for his name again, and quick as a flash, the blonde jumped down into the arena, to face his opponent. Neji Hyuga had long hair, and white eyes with no pupils. Like a typical Hyuga.

_Naruto-kun got Neji nii-san!_ Hinata thought, her eyes widening.

_Heh. Naruto doesn't stand a chance against this guy. _Kiba glanced over at his female teammate. _Hinata is always telling me about how strong her cousin is. Even if Naruto beat me to a pulp in the forest..._

"Say, isn't that last year's Rookie of the Year?" Ino observed Neji. "Ha! The dead last won't stand a chance against such a person."

Shikamaru shook his head wearily. "Naruto looked pretty strong in the forest. Don't underestimate him. Even if he loses this troublesome battle, he'll definitely put up a good fight."

"Yo! Hyuga!" Naruto roared, pointing at his opponent. Neji stared at him with an emotionless face. "Let everybody in here bear witness to this! I, Naruto Uzumaki, am going to become the Hokage! And to do that, I will beat you and advance to the third exam!"

Neji twitched.

Hinata, Itachi, Sasuke and Sakura all smiled.

The Third watched from his position at the top of the room with an amused look. _It should be interesting to see how much Naruto has grown. _

"Alright, if that's all..." Hayate brought his hand down. "Begin."

_It's starting..._ Sakura thought, her grip on the railing in front of her tightening.

_Come on Naruto. Don't get yourself beaten by this guy. _Sasuke glanced at Neji.

"Byakugan."

Activating his dojutsu, Neji got into the Gentle Fist stance.

"Hehe." Naruto unsheathed his katanas. _  
_

"What?!" Ino gasped. "Naruto can use a weapon?"

_No weapon can be a match against the Gentle Fist,_ Neji thought confidently.

_Itachi-sensei said not to get hit by this guy, _Naruto frowned. Dropping his swords, he formed a hand seal. _Let's see what this guy can do before I charge in. _

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Fifty Narutos, all wielding dual katanas, charged towards Neji.

Neji raised an eyebrow.

_Impressive, _Gaara stared at the overwhelming amount of clones.

_Is this the Naruto Uzumaki that's supposed to be the dead last of his class? _Asuma Sarutobi, the Jonin sensei of Team 10, leaned back against the wall, cigarette in mouth as usual. _From what Shikamaru, Ino and Choji say, this Naruto can't do anything more than a few basic jutsu. But here he is now, using weapons and Shadow Clones and all. Itachi, what exactly did you teach him?_

Asuma's gaze swept over to Itachi. The Uchiha Jonin returned the stare, and finally broke it by smiling and nodding.

In a minute, half of the Shadow Clones had been dispersed. Neji jabbed and jabbed, destroying the Naruto Uzumaki army.

Two Shadow Clones remained, and they jumped back to stand beside the original.

The three Narutos brandished their swords.

"Now!" The original screamed. A yellow flash followed and suddenly, the two clones were surrounding Neji.

_No way, _Guy frowned, as he watched the battle beside Tenten. _That speed! It's almost like Lee without his weights! _

"Leaf Style..."

Neji looked up, to see the original Naruto descending upon him, sword raised.

"... Crescent Moon Dance!"

_It's too late to stop him, but there's no way anyone is getting out of that attack alive,_ Itachi thought. _Well, hopefully he was from the Branch Family so there won't be a lot of fuss... _

"Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!"

"Huh?" Itachi's eyes flew open, to see the three Narutos being thrown back. The clones dispersed, while Naruto himself fell onto the ground.

_There's no way you can beat Neji's defense,_ Tenten grinned.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto complained.

_The Hyuga's Rotation! I forgot about that!_ Itachi stared hard at Neji. _So is this guy from the Main House then? _

"The Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation," Neji stated simply. "I release chakra from every chakra point on my body, to create a rotating shield of chakra. Any one who attacks will be tossed away." He got into the Gentle Fist stance once more. "You will not be able to land even one hit on me."

"Don't be so sure about that, tough guy," Naruto growled.

Neji grunted.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Four Shadow Clones appeared, and ran towards Neji with their swords.

Without much effort, Neji dispersed one with a jab to the stomach, and then another with a painful-looking jab to the neck. The third clone puffed away with a jab to the chest.

The last clone attacked, and Neji ducked as the katana swung over his head. Tackling the Naruto clone to the ground, Neji hauled it back up and dealt five continuous jabs to it's stomach, knocking it down and dispersing it.

"Become Hokage, eh?" Neji smirked, finally showing some form of emotion. "That's impossible."

The original Naruto was annoyed by this. "What did you say?"

Pointing to his eyes, the Hyuga chuckled. "These eyes can see it all."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked impatiently. Part of him wanted to spring an attack. He wasn't interested in White Eyes' stories.

"Talent is decided at your birth. Everything is decided when a person is born. Those that become Hokage are born into that destiny. You don't become it by trying. It is decided by destiny!"

Irritated by his opponent's speech, Naruto glared at Neji. "Who are you to blabber about destiny and all that?" Leaping towards the Hyuga, with his katanas crossed, the Jinchuriki yelled. "So you're saying I'm not destined to become Hokage, eh?"

Dodging Naruto's attack easily by diving to the side, Neji thrust his hand forward, but Naruto was faster.

The Hyuga drew back, now clutching his bloodstained palm.

"Too bad I'm not good at giving up!"

Charging towards Neji again, Naruto attempted a kick. His opponent drew back, and Naruto kept up the assault, swinging and thrusting his katanas expertly.

"Rotation!"

"I'm not getting hit by that a second time!" Naruto declared, zipping away from Neji.

Stopping his Rotation, Neji blinked.

_No one has managed to dodge the Rotation before... _

Putting his hands into the all-too-familiar hand seal, Naruto called forth ten Shadow Clones.

"No matter how many Shadow Clones you use, or what techniques you try," Neji smiled. "It's useless."

"Useless, useless, blah blah blah. Shut up already, you arrogant bastard!"

Twitching again, the look in Neji's eyes hardened. "When I'm done with you, you'll never be able to use one single jutsu again."

Ignoring the threat, Naruto placed his katanas in front of him once more. All his clones did the same.

"Come on!" Naruto roared, jumping towards Neji with his clones.

_What are you going to do, Naruto?_ Itachi looked on. He was becoming increasingly worried for his student. If he kept engaging the Hyuga boy in close combat like this...

"Leaf Style: Extreme Crescent Moon Dance!"

Neji's eyes narrowed as eight Narutos all went for him together.

"Rotation!"

At the sound of his call, the eight Narutos jumped into the air, out of range from Neji's spinning, to join the other two Naruto clones and the original. When the Eight Trigrams Rotation was executed and finished, Neji looked up, to see eleven Naruto Uzumakis descending upon him.

_It's over,_ Sasuke smirked.

_The Extreme Crescent Moon Dance... _Itachi mentally laughed as the eleven Narutos closed in on their target. _I never thought you would expand on the Crescent Moon Dance. Naruto, you really are the number one unpredictable ninja. _

"Take... thhhhhhiiis!"

The first blow was a kick from the first Naruto that descended - the original. The ten clones followed up, piling on top of the Hyuga wonder, and creating a mini explosion that filled the arena with smoke.

"Did he do it?" Sakura asked no one in particular, leaning forward to desperately catch a glimpse.

The smoke cleared, to reveal a bloodied Neji, fingers jabbed into Naruto's abdomen.

"I've got you."

Naruto gasped, dropping the two katanas in his hands. _My chakra... where is my chakra? _

"Shit," Sasuke swore.

Itachi frowned. "He waited for Naruto to get close, and when he did, took the opportunity to strike."

Tenten observed her teammate's body. It was littered with at least six visible scars. Blood stained his cheek and lips. _Neji's got him, but... wow. No one has ever dealt so much damage to Neji! __  
_

"You're in range!" Neji smirked. "8 Trigrams..."

His hands becoming full palms, Neji struck. "2 Palms!"

Naruto was knocked back.

"4 Palms!"

Neji kept up the assault.

"8 Palms!"

Coughing out blood now, Naruto tried to get away, but Neji kept him in place with more of his palmed attacks.

"16 Palms!"

Unable to resist letting out a gurgling sound, Naruto coughed out more of his blood into the atmosphere.

"32 Palms!"

Neji had a victorious smirk on his face now. The match was his.

"64 Palms!"

With the final scream, Neji's last palmed attack was executed, and Naruto was blasted straight into the wall.

"Naruto!" Sasuke and Sakura both yelled.

Neji looked over to Hayate with a nod. "You may end the match now, examiner. This battle is over." Looking towards the smoke around the wall that the impact had created, the white-eyed prodigy smirked again. "He won't be able to fight anymore."

"Y... Yeah...?"

Naruto emerged, blood leaking down his mouth.

"Naruto..." Itachi sighed. He couldn't help but agree with Neji. This match was over.

"I told you I'm no good at giving up!" Naruto shouted. He couldn't feel any of his chakra now. He didn't know why, but the spiky-haired boy couldn't care less. All he knew was that he was going to defeat the bastard in front of him.

"Give up," Neji laughed. "With my Gentle Fist, I've closed all your chakra points. You won't be able to use any jutsu for at least an hour!" He looked away. "I've told you before, didn't I? A person's destiny is decided at birth. And you, a loser who can only work hard, will always be destined to lose to me, a genius at birth."

"Shut up and stop deciding the fate of others..." Naruto sneered. "I told ya, I'll beat you, and I will! Believe it!"

Jumping towards Neji, Naruto managed to punch the unsuspecting genius to the ground. Another punch to the face followed.

"Get off!" Neji was annoyed.

Hauling his opponent up with him, Naruto tossed Neji away. The long-haired Genin did a twist in mid-air and landed on his feet.

"Tell me..." Naruto paused to cough out the blood stuck in his throat. "... why do you go on blabbering about fate, destiny and all that?" His question was more out of curiosity then anything else. "Why can't you accept that geniuses aren't the only ones who can succeed?"

Within the Genin and Jonin audience, Hinata tensed.

Neji chuckled mirthlessly as his hands moved to his Konoha forehead protector. "Since you've asked... let me tell you all about the..." He paused, finally managing to untie the headband and letting it fall into his outstretched hand. "... the Hyuga's destiny of hatred."

"Destiny of hatred?"

This was when Naruto looked up, and realized the sight of a green mark on Neji's forehead.

"The Main Family of the Hyuga clan have a special jutsu..." Neji's hand went up to the mark. "The Hyuga's Cursed Seal Jutsu."

Itachi nodded in understanding. _Then he's a member of the Branch Family. But those techniques he used earlier were from the Main House, weren't they? So, how...? _

"The curse of the mark represents a bird in a cage. It is the symbol of being tied down to an inescapable destiny."

_Is he... talking about that mark on his forehead? _Naruto stared hard at the green mark. It didn't look like something he would want on his forehead.

"I had this seal carved into my forehead when I was just four," Neji sighed. The memories came rushing back. "That day, a grand ceremony was taking place in Konoha. A shinobi leader from Kumogakure, the Hidden Cloud, had arrived to sign an alliance treaty."

Naruto nodded. _Kumo, huh... _

"But at this ceremony which everyone attended, one clan was missing. The Hyuga clan..."

"Why?"

Neji looked up, and his eyes fixed onto Hinata with a hateful look. The heiress shifted her feet uneasily, shrinking back with an uncomfortable look.

"Hinata-sama's third birthday."

"Hinata?"

_Come to think of it... they both have the same eyes! So Hinata's a Hyuga!_ He mentally smacked himself for not discovering that sooner. Naruto had always found her eyes weird. So it was a clan trait.

"Hinata-sama was of the Main Family. My father, Hizashi, and Hinata-sama's father, Hiashi-sama, were twins. But Hinata-sama's father was born into this world first as a member of the Main Family, and my father, the second son, became a member of the Branch Family."

"Neji nii-san..." Hinata whispered, her sad eyes fixed on her cousin.

"When the first child of the Main Family becomes three..." Neji glared at the floor. "The Branch Family member closest to the age of the child is inflicted with the curse of the 'bird in the cage'."

Recalling his uncle using _that _technique on his father so many years ago, Neji almost cried, but stopped himself.

"With a simple secret and seal, the Branch member's mind can be easily destroyed by a member of the Main Family."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"And this curse disappears only when in death, sealing the Byakugan along with it." Neji gestured towards his eyes, and as he did so, deactivated the dojutsu.

_That's... that's... _

Naruto couldn't find words to describe how he would have felt if born into the Branch Family of the Hyuga. He looked up towards Neji.

_Is that why he's like that? Always talking about destiny and fate? _

"My father was killed by the Main Family."

The prodigy's words pulled Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Hinata-sama was kidnapped... her father, of course, took care of it and quickly killed him. It was dark, and he was wearing a mask. Who do you think it was?" Neji chuckled.

"Um..."

Neji didn't wait for an answer.

"The one I mentioned earlier... the shinobi leader of Kumo, the Cloud country."

_What a twist,_ Itachi thought. He remembered this incident rather clearly.

"It became clear that he was here after the secrets of the Hyuga, and not to sign some alliance. But Kumo, with one of their leaders dead, demanded the Hyuga's Byakugan from Konoha, as a form of compensation, you could say."

_I've never heard of this..._ Naruto took in the story. It sounded vile, and his disrespect for Kumo shot up considerably.

"Kumo demanded the corpse of Hiashi-sama, but of course, thanks to my dad, who sacrificed himself...!" Neji spat. "Hiashi-sama is still well and alive today!"

His emotions rising, Neji let out a low growl.

"They were twins, and their strength was virtually the same. Born first, born second..." Neji got into his Gentle Fist stance once more, and his Byakugan was activated. "... destiny was decided by just that."

Naruto pulled out his katanas again. _One more time, huh... __  
_

"And this fight... your destiny was decided the moment I became your opponent...!"

"If you think destiny is decided just because of that, then you're making a huge mistake!" Naruto protested.

"Just because of that?!" With a snarl, Neji released some killing intent, and jumped forward to attack Naruto. The latter ducked, and just as Neji was above him, kicked him in the chin.

Neji's Byakugan eyes widened as he felt himself being pushed into the air. Naruto jumped into the air to join his opponent.

_Is that... the Dancing Leaf Shadow?_ Guy, Tenten and Neji thought simultaneously.

"Just you watch..." Naruto crossed his hands into a hand seal.

Nothing came.

Neji smirked.

"Your chakra points have been closed. As I said before, you can't use any of your jutsu!"

"I don't believe that!" Naruto cried out. "I know, my chakra is in here somewhere, and I'm going to get it out!"

_Naruto,_ Itachi couldn't help rolling his eyes. _The Gentle Fist completely blocks your chakra out. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to do anything about it! _

Focusing, Naruto formed his hands into the Tiger hand seal.

His eyes flew open. He could sense chakra!

It felt different compared to his normal chakra, but Naruto couldn't care less. This different chakra felt faint and little, but Naruto drew out as much as he could.

Placing his hands into the hand seal he wanted, Naruto called out. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Neji shook his head in surprise as three Naruto clones formed in front of him.

"Impossible!" The Branch member roared. "I blocked off all your chakra points!"

"I told you," Naruto grinned. "I'm not good at giving up!"

Hiruzen looked down towards the scene. "Is he drawing out the chakra of the Kyuubi?!"

Itachi had the exact same question on his mind. The answer was evident. The newly-summoned Naruto clones had a faint red chakra emanating from their bodies.

One of the clones grabbed Neji and tossed him further up into the air before dispersing.

The second clone got onto Naruto's back, jumping towards Neji and giving him a punch in the chin, sending him up higher.

The last of the clones was given a lift by Naruto's hands, flying towards Neji and giving him another punch in the chin.

Both clones dispersed, and Naruto felt himself finally descending onto the ground. Leaping up again, it was his turn to give Neji a punch, and that was what he did. The former Rookie of the Year was blasted into the ceiling.

_What... is this strength?! _Neji could feel himself growing weaker and weaker. The punches were doing no good to him.

The two fell towards land, and as they neared the ground, Naruto sent the back of his foot crashing into Neji's face. The Hyuga choked in surprise. Naruto's foot forced his face down, resulting in him slamming face-first onto the ground.

This created the sound of a sickening crunch.

"What was that about destiny you were talking about?" Naruto looked down at his fallen opponent, smirking.

A statement formed in the minds of almost every single Genin present.

_Naruto won?_

_The dead last, won against a Rookie of the Year? _

"You... you..."

Neji struggled, but he couldn't. He just couldn't move anymore.

He couldn't believe it. A silly K.O. move had finished him, while his 8 Trigrams 64 Palms did nothing much to bring this tiresome blonde to defeat.

"When I become Hokage, I will change the Hyuga." Naruto swore. "You have my word."

_Naruto Uzumaki... you..._ Neji couldn't resist a smile breaking out on his face, as he drifted into unconsciousness. _Destiny... huh... _

"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki!"

* * *

**That didn't come out as well as I liked - but let's hear the readers' opinions. Anyway, until next time. See ya! **


	23. The Preliminaries End: Itachi's Schedule

**Can't believe the support for this story. Thanks guys!**

**After getting through Choji's match, and then writing half of Shikamaru vs Hinata, I decided I could just skip the preliminaries altogether now that the main guys are done, so that's what I did.**

**_Akatsuki no Kyara_: Why would I not? :P  
**

**_Charrmed_: That sounds brilliant to hear :') thank you for your support!**

**_Aurora-chan_: Thanks a lot :D  
**

**_Pyr00tje_: Definitely sounds like an interesting idea. I'll be looking to see if I can do something with that.  
**

**_zarethuzumi_: Naruto's finishing move on Neji was my modified version of the Uzumaki Barrage :) And I'm the type of writer who's only good for writing 2k+ words stories. Anything more and I'll feel like going to sleep, yes, I can fall asleep on my own story. I have never written more than 6,000 words in a chapter. Sorry to disappoint!  
**

**Thanks to _Akatsuki no Kyara, Charrmed, The True Not Important, Aurora-chan, Ivyfeather319, Pyr00tje, zarethuzumi _and _Nek0Nek0 _for the reviews!  
**

* * *

"Winner: Tenten!"

Ino slumped to the ground, her body littered with scars. Medics swiftly rushed in, taking the Yamanaka away on a stretcher.

"Now we're done with the preliminaries, can all winners come down to the ground please, including the one that got a free pass?"

Said Genin arrived in the arena.

Hayate repeated the battles, and winners, just for confirmation.

"The first match. Sakura Haruno vs Karin. Sakura Haruno is the winner."

"The second match. Rock Lee vs Gaara Sabaku. Gaara Sabaku is the winner."

"The third match. Dosu Kinuta vs Kankuro Sabaku. Kankuro Sabaku is the winner."

"The fourth match. Sasuke Uchiha vs Kin Tsuchi. Sasuke Uchiha is the winner."

"Fifth. Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga. Naruto Uzumaki is the winner."

"And the sixth. Choji Akimichi vs Zaku Abumi. Choji Akimichi is the winner."

"The seventh match. Shikamaru Nara vs Hinata Hyuga. Shikamaru Nara is the winner."

"The eighth. Temari Sabaku vs Kiba Inuzuka. Temari Sabaku is the winner."

"And last but not least, Ino Yamanaka vs Tenten, and Tenten is the winner."

"Shino Aburame gets a free pass to the third stage of the Chunin Exams."

The room broke into applause for the Genin that had qualified.

The Third Hokage walked down the stairs into the arena, to address the Genin.

"We have ten Genin left now, so the third exam will be like the preliminaries. One-on-one battles." Hiruzen explained. "Only five Genin will remain standing until the end of the exam."

"Does that mean only five Genin will be promoted to Chunin?"

"No," Hiruzen shook his head. "We will assess any one of these ten Genin at the third exam. Even if they lose, they can still be promoted to Chunin if we think highly of their skills."

"Ah," Naruto nodded. "So all ten of us have a chance of making Chunin!"

"Yes."

Hayate stepped forward, carrying a box. "Every one, come here and take a piece of paper. There'll be a number inside, and when you see what it is, tell us. Got it?"

When he received nods, Hayate gestured for the Genin to take the papers. Naruto opened his, and grinned. He had gotten 7.

"7," the blonde declared. After him came the other Genin voices.

"1."

"3."

"10."

"9."

"4... What a drag..."

"I've got 2..."

"8."

"5."

"7."

"6 here!"

Hayate nodded. "Looks like all of you have gotten your numbers. Now here's how it is. Number 1 will fight against Number 2, Number 3 against Number 4, and so on. Just in case you can't count..." He coughed, but to the Genin it sounded more like a snicker. "... we've drawn up something for you. Anko!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm done." Anko finished her scribbling on some random sheet of paper, and passed it to Hayate.

The sickly proctor revealed the sheet to the Genin. "This, is the fixtures for the third exam. And just in case you can't read..." He coughed again. "... I will be reading it out to you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Of course he could read.

"Number 1 vs Number 2. Sasuke Uchiha vs Kankuro Sabaku."

"Number 3 vs Number 4. Temari Sabaku vs Shikamaru Nara."

"Number 5 vs Number 6. Tenten vs Sakura Haruno."

"Number 7 vs Number 8. Naruto Uzumaki vs Gaara Sabaku."

"Number 9 vs Number 10. Shino Aburame vs Choji Akimichi."

_Naruto's got the Gaara guy!_ Sakura worried for her teammate. _He defeated someone as powerful as Lee! How can Naruto... _

Naruto was thinking something a tad bit more different. _Woah, I got the Gaara guy! This should be fun! _

_The puppeteer, huh?_ Sasuke looked towards his new opponent. _Looks like I'm in for quite a fight. _

_Isn't she the chestnut girl? _Shikamaru frowned, but said nothing. _A girl... I have to fight a girl again... troublesome. _

"The third exam will begin in two months' time. This will give all of you as much time as you need to prepare and practice for your new opponent."

"Two months?" Sakura protested. "That's a bit too long, don't you think?"

"Nah, I think it's just fine. It'll give me more time to learn more cool jutsu!" Naruto said with glee.

With that, the Genin were all free to return home.

* * *

"Itachi-sensei! You have to train me, I tell ya!"

Naruto slurped happily on his ramen as he talked.

Itachi had a small smile on his face. "Of course. Let me go through what Team 7 will be doing these two months." He finished the last of his ramen, and tapped his chopsticks on the bowl to get Sasuke and Sakura's attention.

"I'm listening!" Naruto said excitedly.

"First, Sakura." Itachi's tone turned serious. "You will be training under a teacher I've selected for you. He's rather friendly, so you shouldn't have any problems under him. He's a skilled Earth Style user, and he'll be teaching you Earth Style ninjutsu. "In addition to that, I will also train with you for a few weeks to learn a genjutsu or two."

Sakura nodded, feeling excited.

"Next, Sasuke." Itachi turned to his younger brother. "Our first step will be learning how to control that Cursed Seal of yours."

"This?" Sasuke's hand reluctantly moved to his Cursed Seal.

"Don't tell the Hokage about this," the Jonin said softly. Sasuke dumbly nodded. "When we are done with that, which will take almost a month in estimation, like Sakura, you will be placed under the care of a teacher who can use the Lightning Style."

"Sounds interesting," Sasuke grinned.

"Lastly, Naruto." Naruto's head snapped up eagerly. "I don't know an experienced Wind Style user who's willing to be a teacher, but we'll be working on your kenjutsu. You are already highly advanced with the sword, but to beat someone like that Gaara, you'll have to increase your speed to levels to impossible heights. Basically, what I'm saying is, your kenjutsu must be perfected. By the end of these two months, I want you to become a master of kenjutsu."

Naruto took in the information. A master of kenjutsu. That didn't sound too bad.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, the Almighty Kenjutsu Master!" He declared.

Teuchi looked up from his work, and chuckled, before going back to his cooking.

Naruto shrunk back in embarrassment.

* * *

"What we shall do first, Sasuke, is get that Cursed Seal of yours to act up."

"What?" Sasuke looked down. "Must I...?"

"Sasuke," Itachi smiled warmly. "Don't worry. I'll be here to stop if you if anything happens. Do you trust me?"

Sasuke stared back at his older brother and grinned. "Yeah, I do."

"If you'd said 'no', I would have disowned you as my brother," Itachi teased. He got into a taijutsu stance. "First, we fight. Activate your Sharingan, use ninjutsu. Just try to draw the Cursed Seal out. Okay?"

"Got it," Sasuke nodded reluctantly. Hesitantly, the Uchiha activated his Sharingan.

"Come." The older of the two beckoned his younger sibling to him.

"Fire Style!" Sasuke leaped into the air. "Fireball...!" He collapsed to the ground, clutching onto his neck.

"Sasuke!" Itachi yelled, running up. _Maybe this is a bad idea...? _

"I'm fine, big brother!"

"No, you aren't."

"Yes, I am!" Sasuke insisted, turning around and trying to punch Itachi in the face, but the Jonin was gone in a flash, and reappeared a meter away from Sasuke.

Grabbing a kunai in his hands, Itachi charged.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Small fireballs roamed from Sasuke's mouth, shooting towards Itachi.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

Itachi's own fireballs collided with Sasuke's, and both fires were put out together. At the same time, Sasuke clutched his neck again as the Cursed Seal's pain returned.

"Brother! It's... it's starting...!"

The seal began to spread.

"Focus, Sasuke. Control it." Itachi soothed.

"I... I can't!"

"Try."

"No...!"

"Try."

"I can't!"

"Control it, Sasuke!" Itachi roared into his brother's face.

Sasuke winced, and focused as the mark spread to his left arm and leg. It was only a few centimeters from reaching his face. Itachi prepared himself for a fight.

_Focus..._ Sasuke told himself. _I can do this. I can control this... I just need to focus... Let's kill something._

The raven-haired boy's eyes flew open, now with a crazed look in them. With a roar, Sasuke attacked Itachi as the Cursed Seal finally spread over the left side of his face.

_Looks like he couldn't do it,_ Itachi frowned. Sasuke attempted a punch, but Itachi grabbed onto his wrist and flung him onto the ground, earning a cry of pain from the younger boy.

Pinning Sasuke on his back, Itachi swiftly formed an array of one-handed hand seals.

"Sealing Jutsu."

Slapping his hand over Sasuke's neck where the original Cursed Seal was, the black marks around Sasuke's left body half reversed back into his neck.

Releasing Sasuke, Itachi got up and pulled his sibling up as well.

"I couldn't control it," Sasuke sighed, shaking his head.

"Never mind that," Itachi got into his taijutsu stance once more. "Again!"

Sasuke stared at Itachi in disbelief, but complied.

"Sharingan!"

* * *

"You must be Sakura Haruno."

Sakura looked up at her new teacher. It was a male that looked slightly older than Itachi. He had short brown hair, and some sort of facial armor attached to his face, that covered his cheeks and forehead. At the top of this facial armor, at the forehead, was the symbol of the Hidden Leaf.

This man also wore the standard Konoha flak jacket, much like Itachi did.

"Yes, I'm Sakura," the pinkette bowed respectfully. "And you are...?"

"Um..." The brown-haired man seemed to be in thought. Then he looked up and smiled. "Tenzo. You can call me Tenzo."

"Pleased to meet you, Tenzo-san. Or do I address you as Tenzo-sensei?"

Tenzo chuckled. "I've never been addressed as sensei before! Tenzo-san will be fine."

Nodding, Sakura continued. "Tenzo-san, are you the Earth Style user Itachi-sensei referred me to?"

"Yep! I owe Itachi-senpai a favor, so... hahaha..." Tenzo said sheepishly.

"Itachi-senpai?"

"Oh, I worked with Itachi-senpai in the ANBU. He was one of my captains!" Tenzo explained, smiling. He led Sakura towards their destination - the Fifth Training Ground. Sakura had never been to this field before, but she couldn't be bothered. Her mind was set on learning all the ninjutsu she could learn.

"How many jutsu am I going to learn?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know, but we have a month and a half, so I'm sure there's plenty."

Sakura's face lit up in delight as Tenzo turnd to face her.

"We are going to be learning some C-Rank techniques," the man explained. "All pretty easy to master. Unfortunately, they are all defensive techniques, but they'll be useful."

"I think defensive techniques are a need," Sakura murmured. She didn't know much about Tenten, but from her fight with Ino, she was a master of sealing and weaponry.

After watching Tenten performing that Rising Twin Dragons on Ino, Sakura wasn't so sure she wanted to be hit by the same attack.

"First, this one." Tenzo slammed his palm onto the ground. "Earth Style: Terra Shield!" A giant shield of earth rose up in front of him. Emerging from behind the shield, Tenzo patted his piece of work in satisfaction.

"It looks unbreakable," Sakura gasped.

"It isn't," Tenzo stated simply. "The Earth Style: Terra Shield isn't completely a shield, but more like something to buy time. It's not strong enough to handle attacks that can deal a significant amount of damage, but it'll buy you time to dodge."

"Ah, I see."

"This is the second jutsu we'll be trying to master today." Tenzo placed his hands into a seal of confrontation. "Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu!"

Disappearing underground, Tenzo's head then suddenly popped out from the ground, a grin on his face.

"So basically, this is like the Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu used on yourself?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Nope. The Headhunter Jutsu completely restricts it's target from moving." Tenzo's entire body rose from the ground. "With the Hidden Mole Jutsu, the user can move underground and based on the magnetic forces you feel while underground, you can also sense where your opponent is if you're in a battle."

"Will I actually be able to master two jutsu in one day?"

Tenzo grinned. "It's almost impossible, but we shall try."

Sakura nodded, preparing herself for the training she was about to receive.

* * *

**And that's the end of another chapter. Hopefully I can get a new one up by the next three days. In the next chapter, Jiraiya of the Sannin makes his first appearance! Until next time!**


	24. Intense Training: New Skills

**99 reviews. OMGYES. **

**_imsabbel_: To be honest if I was the Hokage I wouldn't want Sasuke to be tampering with the Cursed Seal. And you bring up a valid point, but unfortunately it is about 16 chapters too late. **

_**Pyr00tje**_**: Brilliant idea, indeed. I'll definitely be trying to incorporate it into this! :) **

**Thanks to _Akatsuki no Kyara, imsabbel, Charrmed _and _Pyr00tje _for the reviews!**

* * *

Naruto glared hard at the hot spring.

He wanted to take a dip in it, but reminded himself that he was here to train.

Itachi had told him all about water-walking, saying it was somewhat similar to tree-climbing, and instructed him to practice his chakra control by doing water-walking in the hot springs.

Summoning chakra to his feet, Naruto stepped onto the water. He took a few successful steps, and then, to his horror, his right foot sunk under.

Despite this, Naruto's left foot was still fixed firmly on the surface, and it was a particular sight to see the young Genin's right body half dangling between the air and underwater.

Getting out of the hot springs, Naruto was about to try again. He turned, and was mortified to see a white-haired man with a telescope, peeking through a hole.

The blonde instantly realized through the hole was the opposite side of the hot springs, where the women bathed in.

_Who is this man?_ Naruto frowned. _What a pervert! _

Forming his hands into a familiar hand seal, he thought, _this guy could be a ninja. Charging in could be unwise._

A Naruto clone appeared, and nodded towards the original, who went into hiding.

"Oi! Old pervert! What are you doing?"

Said pervert turned and put his telescope down, glaring angrily at the Naruto clone.

His glare turned to widening eyes.

"M-M-M-Minato?"

"Huh?" The clone questioned.

"Minato? Is that-"

_No! Minato is dead! Then... who is this boy? _

"Who's Minato?"

"Bah," the large man's glare returned. "What is a young brat like you doing here? Go play ninja or something and leave me to my work."

"Your work?" Naruto snorted. "Are you a full-time pervert, then?!"

Drawing a sword, the clone attacked.

_This brat can use a weapon?_

"Go away, brat!" There was a puff of smoke, and a toad appeared. From his hiding spot, the original Naruto's jaw hung open. The toad rammed itself into the clone, destroying it.

The old pervert was on his feet instantly, as the toad disappeared as soon as it'd appeared.

_A Shadow Clone? Who exactly is this brat? _

Naruto emerged from his hiding spot.

"Who exactly are you, and what are you doing in Konoha?" He demanded, noticing the peculiar symbol on this man's forehead protector.

"Very well, since you asked..." The man smirked. "I am...!" Another toad appeared below the summoner, and he did a pose. "... the great Toad Sage, Jiraiya!"

"Toad... Sage?" Naruto rolled his eyes. "More like the Pervy Sage!"

"What did you call me, you brat?" Jiraiya growled.

"The Pervy Sage!" Naruto repeated, drawing an angry look from Jiraiya. "Say, those toads you can summon are cool. How do I do that?"

Jiraiya chuckled, and turned around, going back to his little peephole and picking up his telescope.

"I've no time for a brat like you unfortunately! Need to do my research, you know!"

"Bloody pervert," Naruto groaned.

"I am not a pervert," Jiraiya said seriously, turning to face Naruto again. Then his lips curled into a goofy grin. "I am the... super pervert!" Laughing, he turned back to his 'research', making Naruto shake his head.

"You look like an old man but you're more immature than me," Naruto remarked.

Chuckling at the comment, Jiraiya focused in on a particular brunette who had just stepped out from the baths. Giggling slightly, the Toad Sage started taking down notes.

_Maybe I should just ignore this old guy, _Naruto sighed. _But those toads he could summon were cool! They could help me against that Gaara guy! What should I do? Aha, I've got it. _

"Oi, Pervy Sage."

"Do not call me that, you brat!" Jiraiya lowered his telescope and turned again. "What do you want this time? Not gone home yet?"

"Check this out," Naruto smirked. "Sexy Jutsu!"

Jiraiya's mouth formed a huge O as Naruto demonstrated his perverted technique. Changing back into his normal self, the Jinchuriki shot the Sage a victorious smile. "Well, how about it? Teach me how to use the toad!"

"Y-Yes! Of course I'll teach you!" Jiraiya screamed in passion.

"Hmph," Naruto grinned.

* * *

"Before I teach you this, maybe you can do that... Sexy Jutsu for me one more time?" Jiraiya's eyes sparkled.

"No," Naruto refused. "Not until you show me how to do a cool toad trick!"

Jiraiya hung his head in sadness. "Fine."

Biting his thumb to draw blood, Jiraiya launched his hands into a few hand seals and slammed his palm on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Naruto watched on in awe as a green toad appeared in a puff of smoke.

Behind the toad was a scroll. Taking the scroll off the toad's back, Jiraiya unrolled it. He paused for a moment, debating on whether to tell the boy that toads weren't the only animal that could be summoned, and if he wanted to think about it before signing the contract.

However, his desire for the Sexy Jutsu took over, and grinning, Jiraiya presented the contract to Naruto.

"You sign your name in blood here," he pointed to a blank space. "This will give you the ability to summon toads."

"Gotcha!" Naruto bit his thumb. "Na... ru... to... Uzumaki!" He declared, as he wrote his name down.

Jiraiya chuckled.

_Yup, definitely the son of Minato and Kushina alright. The old man told me about him taking his mother's name. I see... so he's the one._

When the toad and the scroll disappeared, Jiraiya nodded. "Alright. You've seen me summon the toad earlier. Now, you do it."

Nodding, Naruto did the same hand seals that Jiraiya did earlier, after biting his thumb to draw more of his blood. Slamming his palm onto the ground, Naruto yelled, "Summoning Jutsu!"

A small red toad appeared.

"Heeeey! I've been summoned!" The toad exclaimed. Then he noticed the white-haired man. "And by the great Toad Sage, Jiraiya! What an honor!"

Naruto stared at Jiraiya suspiciously. _Is this 'Toad Sage' really that important? _

"Ah, Gamakichi," Jiraiya smiled. "It wasn't me, but this guy who summoned you."

"Yo!" The small red toad, Gamakichi, turned to face Naruto with a big grin on his face.

"Why can't I summon big toads like you?" Naruto whined.

"Well, because you aren't as great as me!" Jiraiya proudly announced. Naruto smacked his face with his hand.

_Still, to summon a small toad on his first attempt, and I didn't even give him any instructions! I was expecting something like a small tadpole. Has he inherited your skill, Minato?_ Jiraiya smiled at the thought of his late student.

"Hello there," Naruto grinned at Gamakichi. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to become the next Hokage!"

Gamakichi frowned. "Oh, right. Anyway, I'm Gamakichi!" He introduced himself. "Nice to meet ya!"

"Naruto," Jiraiya interrupted. "Is that your name?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, Naruto." Jiraiya nodded. "Try using the Summoning Jutsu again, and maybe, um, a bigger toad this time."

"Hey!" Gamakichi shot, and Jiraiya laughed.

Following the same things he did earlier, Naruto slammed his palm on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A green toad appeared, much bigger than Gamakichi this time. This toad briefly nodded at Jiraiya and disappeared again.

"Rude fella," Gamakichi commented, and Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Alright, good job. Now try again."

* * *

Sasuke panted wildly. It had been three long weeks, and finally, he was making some progress.

"I'm ready to continue," he informed.

Itachi nodded.

"Sharingan," Sasuke activated his dojutsu. The burning pain on his neck returned, but Sasuke had gotten so used to it now that he didn't even flinch. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

Both fireballs blasted into each other, creating smoke. Sasuke emerged from the smoke, now with the black marks covering half his face. Pulling his fist back, Sasuke prepared for a punch, but Itachi ducked with ease.

A second later, Itachi had been thrown back by a knee crashing into his face.

"You are a lot faster than you were before," the older Uchiha commented, throwing a few shuriken.

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded, beating off the throwing stars with his kunai. "I feel like I can lose control of myself any moment though."

"Well, at least you've made progress." His hands flying into a set of hand seals, Itachi cried, "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Both fire techniques collided with each other again, but Sasuke's was stronger. Itachi was taken aback by this, as the dragon-headed fireball surged towards him.

Forming a Tiger seal, Itachi proceeded to knead chakra in his stomach.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullet."

Spewing three bullets of water at the flame, Itachi easily extinguished it, and more smoke covered the area. Like before, Sasuke jumped out of the smoke again and engaged Itachi.

Sasuke threw a punch and then another, but his brother was easily dodging his attacks, despite their enhanced speed. Finally, the younger boy was thrown a meter away with a strong kick to the chest.

"That hurt, brother..." Sasuke groaned. The marks on his face faded, and returned to the original mark on his neck.

"These three weeks have paid off." Itachi brushed the dirt off his clothes. "It seems you can now control the Cursed Seal to a certain extent. We'll practice for one more week, and then I'll be introducing you to your Lighting Style instructor."

Sasuke nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

"So, Sakura. Tenzo tells me you can do five Earth Style jutsu now," Itachi said admiringly.

"He told me you mastered seven Fire Style jutsus and seven Water Style jutsus in the same amount of time," Sakura chuckled.

"Well, that is true," Itachi laughed. "But still, for a Genin fresh out of the academy, to learn five ninjutsu in just a month is quite an accomplishment."

Sakura nodded, smiling. "Yeah!" Then she looked up. "Itachi-sensei... how is Sasuke-kun and Naruto doing with their training?"

"Oh... Sasuke and Naruto?" Itachi smiled. "Sasuke is doing well. He's already learnt how to control himself if his Cursed Seal tries to take over. We didn't have time to master it, but to be able to fully control himself so well already in just a month is already pretty incredible."

"He's Sasuke-kun after all."

"Yes," Itachi chuckled softly. "He's going to meet the teacher that's going to teach him ninjutsu today. If you ask me, he's definitely going to beat his opponent."

"What about Naruto?"

"Well, I haven't been seeing Naruto much this past month," the Jonin admitted. Then his lips broke into his usual smile. "But from what I've been hearing, he already has a very good teacher. But, like you, he'll be meeting me in a few days to do that kenjutsu mastering we talked about."

"I see. Anyway, I think I'm ready."

"Alright." Itachi got up, and looked around their surroundings - the Tenth Training Ground in Konoha. "As you know, today, we're going to learn a genjutsu." He produced a book, simply titled 'Genjutsu'.

"Where did you get a book like that?" Sakura asked, inspecting the blue-colored cover.

"It's in the Uchiha Library," Itachi explained, turning the book open. Flipping to a particular page, he nodded. "This one is perfect." Setting the book down, Itachi placed his hands into the Tiger seal.

"Genjutsu: Infinite Darkness."

Sakura blinked, and soon the surroundings of trees, grass and Itachi had disappeared, replaced by a world of pitch black.

Before the pinkette could scream, Itachi released the genjutsu.

"That was scary."

Itachi smiled wryly. "This is an A-Rank genjutsu that will help buy time for an attack. When under this, the enemy will basically be blinded, and a sitting duck. Only a physical attack will pull them out of the genjutsu, or if the user decides to close it."

Sakura nodded slowly.

"When do I start?"

* * *

Sasuke sighed. He was finally at the top of the mountain.

Tossing his backpack to the ground, Sasuke looked up, to see a silver-haired Konoha shinobi standing in front of him. He turned, to reveal a masked face and a tilted forehead protector, covering one of his eyes.

"Good afternoon. I am Kakashi Hatake."

* * *

**I'm sorry if this was a lame chapter, but I couldn't just skip to the third exam with every one having those cool jutsu and new skills. And I know I'm overpowering Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura a bit, but I just had to. Especially Sakura, because Kishi makes her so... useless in the manga. And I can't write about a Sakura in battle who only knows how to use her fists, kunai and shuriken. In the next chapter, time is finally brought forward to the day before the third exam. Until next time! **


	25. Her Last Day: Kin's Tears

**Finally hit over 100 reviews. Big shoutout to people like _The True Not Important, Charrmed _and _Akatsuki no Kyara_ a complete TON. You guys have supported this story so much and it just feels awesome to know I have so many readers per chapter, and of course, a shoutout also to my 100th reviewer, _imsabbel_. Tremendous support. Thank you everyone.**

******Surprised to see no one reviewing about how I'm overpowering Team 7. Brilliant.**

******P.S. Just a short notice: I have rewritten the scene with the Sound Trio in Chapter 18: Kabuto's Plan B. **

**_imsabbel_: Why not? ;)**

**_Charrmed_: Yeah, Itachi is a bit tough to write, but I'll try my best.  
**

**_diandra_: Gotta agree with you about the first part of your review, I'm not content with how I've written Itachi in this story. But why wouldn't Itachi treat his little brother like he would Naruto & Sakura? To me, Sasuke really loved his brother before the massacre, and they could have patched whatever issues they had in the 6 years they spent together, that in canon were cut off by the horrible massacre. :P**

**_TheOrangeStar802_: Don't spoil it for the rest! ;)  
**

**Thanks to _imsabbel, Charrmed, Pyr00tje, The True Not Important, Akatsuki no Kyara, diandra _and _TheOrangeStar802 _for the reviews!  
**

* * *

"Holy cow nuggets..."

Sasuke stared at the huge dent in the wall.

"I did that...?"

Kakashi blinked. "Yeah, of course you did. The Chidori is a very destructive jutsu. That's why, I have to remind you. Don't use it on any of your comrades. You got me?"

"Of course. Thanks Kakashi-sensei."

Smiling beneath his mask, Kakashi nodded.

"Well, you've been quite a good student, Sasuke. It's just one more day until the third exams, so why don't you take the day off today?"

"Good idea. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke bowed, and hurried down the mountain. He was craving for rice balls.

* * *

Sasuke walked down the streets of Konoha, his steps getting larger every time he inched closer to his destination.

The rice balls. Oh yeessss. Rice balls.

He had not eaten any in four weeks.

The Chidori had proven to be extremely tough to learn, but he'd mastered it, and that was what counted. Half the time he trained to master the Lightning Style technique, the Cursed Seal had broke out. Sasuke had managed to push the influence of the evil mark back every single time.

_Looks like I'm improving with the control thing, _Sasuke smiled.

His typical shinobi senses suddenly picked up, and Sasuke turned his head sharply.

Unfortunately, it was too late as he was tackled to the ground. He caught the sight of long, flowing black hair as he landed on his bum.

"Ouch... what the hell...?"

* * *

Kin Tsuchi shook her head adamantly.

"No! I refuse to..."

Kabuto tugged at her hair. Kin felt tears rolling down her cheeks. She cursed herself. A kunoichi never cried.

"You don't have a choice," the voice of Orochimaru came in the darkness.

"N-No... Please... Orochimaru-sama..."

"Let go of her. Kabuto."

Nodding, the bespectacled man released the Oto nin.

"Today is your last day in the world of the living." Orochimaru addressed his subordinate. "Tomorrow, I expect you to report to the location of the third exam at 9 o'clock in the morning sharp." He hissed. "If you don't turn up, we will hunt you down."

Kin felt herself shaking.

"Since today is your last day..." Orochimaru smirked. "I won't be so harsh. You can do whatever you'd like, here in the pathetic village that is Konoha." He gestured for the girl to be brought out. "We will see you tomorrow."

Getting up on her feet, Kin ran. She didn't know where she would run to. She just ran.

Kabuto looked towards Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru-sama... Are you sure she will turn up at the stadium?" Kabuto asked in concern. "We need two sacrifices for _that _summoning after all. Zaku has already agreed, but..."

"That's why I want you to keep an eye on her, Kabuto."

Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right. I will do that." He turned. "Say, Orochimaru-sama. What happened to Dosu?"

"He's the leader of the team, so of course he's being punished for how pathetic Kin and Zaku were in the exams." Orochimaru snorted. "I expected more."

"Oh right. Of course." Kabuto nodded in understanding. "I will take my leave now, Orochimaru-sama."

"Go. And keep a close eye on her."

Kin raced from Orochimaru's Leaf hideout to the busy streets of the city. She couldn't help a few tears running down her eyes.

_I'm going to be a sacrifice, _the Sound nin almost burst into tears at the thought. _For some stupid Reanimation Jutsu! Why? Why me? _

Kin didn't want to die at the age of 14. Even if she did, she wanted to be dying on the battlefield. Not as a sacrifice in some creepy jutsu.

Her mind ran through a list of things she would never get to do.

To her surprise, Kin felt herself colliding with a solid body. Cursing her clumsiness, the teen quickly tried to pick herself up.

"Ouch... what the hell...?"

Kin looked towards the person she'd bumped into, surprised at how the voice was eerily familiar. Sasuke Uchiha was on the ground beneath her, his eyebrows furrowing into a frown.

Picking herself up, Kin glared at Sasuke.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Me?" Sasuke got up as well. "Wha-? Hey it was..."

He noticed tears on the lady's face, and quickly brushed them away.

"W-What are you doing?" Kin snapped.

"Sorry," Sasuke apologized. "Did I bump into you that bad?"

"No," the young girl snarled, her tone warning Sasuke to get away from her. She didn't need to talk to anyone right now. She just wanted to be alone.

The Leaf Genin either didn't catch her tone of voice, or chose to ignore it. He smiled at her. "You are Kin Tsuchi, aren't you?"

Kin blinked. She didn't expect the cockatoo-haired bastard to remember her. "Y-Yeah."

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

"That's blatantly obvious," Kin snorted.

"Right," Sasuke sighed. "Are you okay? You were crying, you know."

"I know-" Kin blurted out. Then she stopped herself. "I mean, I wasn't. I just had dirt in my eyes. That's all."

"Right," Sasuke repeated, with an unconvinced look. "Anyway, I'm sorry for bumping into you and making you cry." He knew it wasn't his fault, but it was basic Uchiha politeness.

When the tears continued rolling down the cheeks, Sasuke started panicking.

"Uh, look. Since I made you cry, I'll treat you to lunch, as like, compensation, okay? Just don't cry anymore," he said nervously, looking around. Surrounding passers-by were all glancing curiously at him and the scarfed girl.

Kin said nothing, but after a few seconds passed, she gave a slow nod.

She felt a tug on her hand as Sasuke led her away.

She looked up from her tears after a minute to see that the Uchiha had led her into a small restaurant.

Kin was dragged to the deepest end of the restaurant and to her surprise Sasuke very gentlemanly pulled her seat out for her.

"You don't have to do that," she spoke softly.

Sasuke shrugged. "My parents taught me manners, so yeah."

Scowling, Kin looked at the menu.

"Order anything you want! I'll pay." Sasuke grinned.

Smirking evilly, she said, "So I can order one of everything?"

"Yeah." Sasuke shrugged again.

Kin stared at the boy in disbelief, but nodded and called the waiter over. She was going to treat herself to a feast on her last day.

Sasuke swore he saw the waiter's eyes being replaced by dollar-signs as Kin rattled off every dish on the menu. When the waiter finally turned to him, he grinned and pointed to a picture of rice balls on his menu.

Nodding, the waiter rushed off to the kitchen.

"So, what's the Sound village like?"

"Um, it's nice." Kin replied, looking downwards. He didn't need to know this 'village' of hers was no village, simply a piece of large land surrounded by numerous hideouts and bases of Orochimaru. The only building that wasn't a hideout or base was this huge tower, where Orochimaru stayed whenever he was in Oto.

"I'm sure," Sasuke smiled. "So, when's your team returning?"

_Never,_ Kin wanted to say, but bit her lip. Then she wondered why she was doing so.

"Never," she replied boldly.

"What?"

"Oh, I mean..." Kin looked away sheepishly. "I don't know."

Briefly, she wondered how this boy was acting so calm around her when her team had attacked his in the forest and declared their mission to kill him. _Perhaps he didn't take us seriously,_ Kin frowned at the thought.

The food soon came and Kin dug hungrily into her meal.

Sasuke watched her eat in amusement as he popped a rice ball into his mouth. He savored the taste, before swallowing it. Rice balls were the best things in the world, he was sure. Then he turned his attention back to the female in front of him.

"You know, you're eating as if there's no tomorrow." He joked.

Kin stopped. She dropped her chopsticks. Sasuke's eyebrow raised.

Then, the Oto nin burst into tears. She couldn't stop herself. Sasuke's eyes widened in alarm.

"Wh-What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Shut up, you bastard," Kin sobbed.

Sasuke wondered if the girl was on her period.

Going over to her side, he awkwardly patted Kin's head.

"I'm um, sorry for making you cry again." Sasuke sighed. "Please stop crying." He mentally swore as Kin started crying harder. Looking around, Sasuke frowned at the number of people in the restaurant that were staring in their direction.

_Girls are tougher to handle than missions,_ the Genin shook his head. He had to end her crying fast.

"Come on, stop crying."

That didn't work.

"You look beautiful when you aren't crying, so don't."

Kin stopped.

Sasuke mentally cheered for himself.

These cheers turned into a string of curses as Kin continued her sobbing, but this time the raven-haired boy was surprised as Kin pulled him into a crushing hug while continuing her waterfall of tears.

Not knowing what to do, Sasuke timidly placed his hand on her back.

"Kin," Sasuke spoke her name, but Kin wasn't about to let go. With a sigh, he reluctantly hugged her back. "Stop crying, okay? Please?"

Kin stopped after a minute. Sasuke wiped the tears off her face and grinned. "There."

Taking his arm, Kin started pulling him away. "Come on. Let's go."

"W-Wait, what about the-" He stared at the table. Kin had only finished a quarter of what she'd ordered. Grumbling, Sasuke dumped a few yen onto the counter just as Kin dragged him out of the restaurant. Sighing, he turned to the scarfed ninja. "Where to?"

Looking around, Kin spotted a sign.

"The amusement park."

"Whaaaaat?" Sasuke frowned. "Do you have any money?"

"No."

"Then I'll have to pay for you."

"Yes."

"But if I do that I won't have money for lunch next week."

"Too bad."

"You're lucky you cry easily," Sasuke grumbled.

"I do not cry easily!" Kin shrieked at him.

"Right," Sasuke replied, unconvinced as they walked through the entrance of the amusement park.

"Konoha's Forest of Fun?" Kin read, amused.

"Worst name ever, right?" Her companion laughed. "Stay here. I'll get tickets."

As Sasuke left her, Kabuto pondered going in, capturing the foolish girl and bringing her back to Orochimaru before she told Sasuke anything about the invasion tomorrow.

However, Sasuke returned pretty quickly, and Kabuto returned into the cover of the shadows.

Flashing two tickets, Sasuke handed Kin one. "I think you'll like this place."

"I will?" Kin looked around. "I've never been to such a place before."

_Well, that's one thing that I haven't done before checked off the list,_ she closed her eyes, trying to hide the depressed look that she knew she had in her eyes. Thankfully, Sasuke didn't seem to spot it, and led her away.

"Roller coaster?" Kin grinned, looking up at the attraction. "What's that?"

"You don't know what a roller coaster is?" Sasuke spluttered.

"Nope."

"That's good. Let's have you stay that way."

"No, I want to ride on it," Kin said excitedly, as she watched the train-like thing move around swiftly on the rails.

Sasuke paled. He was hoping she wouldn't ask that. With a defeated look, he pulled Kin into the queue.

* * *

Being a ninja was easier than riding on a roller-coaster.

Sasuke realized that when he first rode the terrible train of doom, and the same thoughts returned to his brain as he unbuckled the seat belt and got off the, in his opinion, worst attraction in the amusement park.

"Wooo! That was fun! Let's go again!"

"No way," Sasuke shook his head, leading her away.

"Is the big brave Uchiha-san scared?" Kin teased.

Blushing, Sasuke didn't answer.

He spotted a cotton candy stand.

"Cotton candy?" Kin walked up to the stand and examined the pink fluffy thing with curiosity. "Can these be eaten?"

Sasuke shot her a look. "Are you kidding?"

"I haven't seen these before," she retorted. "Are they tasty?"

"Oh, very," Sasuke's lips curled into a smile. Kin then shot him a pleading gaze, and with a heavy heart, Sasuke got out his weasel-styled wallet and emptied all his money onto the table of the stand. Coincidentally, it was just enough for two cotton candies.

The owner of the stand handed Sasuke two of the pink snacks. He handed one over to Kin, and watched with a smile as she bit into the candy floss and nodded approvingly.

"Let's go to that!" Kin pointed out a huge wheel.

_The Ferris Wheel,_ Sasuke thought. _No way. _

This particular Ferris Wheel wasn't particularly a slow, moving circle that allowed you to view the beautiful scenery. No, it was a fast-going wheel where you would be seated in one of the seats, buckled with a seat belt, and then just go spinning around the wheel until it stopped.

"I'm not going-"

Kin didn't wait for him to finish, and instead jumped onto his back.

"Full speed ahead!" She screamed into his ear.

Wincing, Sasuke walked slowly over to the wheel, a feeling of fear rising in his stomach. Then his attention turned to the smiling Kin on his back, arms wrapped around his neck.

He didn't know why, but he was enjoying the presence of this crazy lady on his back.

_I could get used to this. _

* * *

Sasuke and Kin collapsed onto the benches.

"Heeeeey." Kin slurred.

"I told you not to drink any of that," Sasuke scolded. Kin had stumbled upon a man giving out free alcoholic drinks.

Ignoring him, Kin wrapped her arms around Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kuuuun." She breathed into his ear, making him shiver. "Fuckin' amazing day, hmmmmm?"

Sasuke couldn't help but agree with that. He had spent the entire day with a stranger, and he enjoyed it. Smiling a little, he nodded. "I suppose."

"Youuuu are such a gooood guy, Sasuke-kuuuun." Kin had a goofy grin plastered on her face. "It's a..." She paused, releasing Sasuke and turning the other way to release the vomit from her mouth. Sasuke looked on in disgust.

Kin's head snapped back to Sasuke and she sighed happily, finishing her sentence. "It's a pitaayy I won't see ya 'gain, huuuh."

"Do you mean when you return to your village?" Sasuke smiled. "Don't worry-"

He was cut off. "Naaaaaw. It's 'coz I'm gunna die 'morrow y'know!" She chuckled loudly.

A few passers-by glanced their way, but this time, Sasuke didn't care.

"What?!" He yelled. "What do you mean?"

"I aaaam gunna be uuused as some shitty sa-qwee-fyce," Kin shrugged, her mad grin remaining on her lips. Sasuke miraculously made out the word she was trying to say as 'sacrifice'.

"Thank you all for coming to Konoha's Forest of Fun tonight! We will now begin the fireworks display!" A booming voice announced through the nearby speakers.

Fireworks shot into the air.

"Beeeee-yoo-teeeful," Kin commented. She turned to see Sasuke staring at her with a worried look on his face. "Why sooo seeewious?" She giggled, and leaned in.

Sasuke's eyes widened as Kin's lips slammed into his.

His mind registered a few things.

This was his first kiss.

She tasted like alcohol.

Sasuke's first instinct was to pull away, but Kin forced him to remain by placing a hand behind his neck. Gradually, Sasuke began to return the kiss, and as they pulled away, he could feel his cheeks reddening.

"That was aaaamazeeeeeeng." Kin declared.

Crushing her into a hug, Sasuke spoke the first words that came to his mind.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

For some reason, Kin felt a content smile crawling onto her lips. Then her eyelids drooped, and she dozed off.

A smile hung onto Sasuke's face as he released the sleeping Kin.

A fuckin' amazing day indeed.

* * *

**I'm not much of a romance writer, but hey, it was worth a shot. What do you think? **

**In the next chapter, Itachi is introduced to Kin, and the third exam begins. **


	26. Roar, Chidori: Kankuro's Puppetry

**116 reviews! Christ.**

**In the last chapter I said Itachi was going to meet Kin. I meant Sasuke's parents, and not Itachi. Sorry :P **

**_imsabbel_: Finally got you to say "like it" in one of your reviews. :D  
**

**_Guest_: When I saw I "hooked another reader" I literally went "yesssss". Thanks! :)  
**

**_TheOrangeStar802_: Whut? I like weird pairings. Heh  
**

**_Aurora-chan_: Pedo-snake man sounds like a brilliant name. :P  
**

**_Pyr00tje_: Going down the Fourth Hokage's nose indeed ;)  
**

**Thanks to _Blood-red Moonlight, imsabbel, Corpj123, Guest, TheOrangeStar802, Akatsuki no Kyara, Aurora-chan, Pyr00tje_ and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

The door of the biggest house in the Uchiha Compound flew open.

"Sasuke, you're late for-"

Sasuke rushed into the house, a girl lying on his back.

Mikoto Uchiha raised an eyebrow.

Fugaku walked into the living room.

"Sasuke, being late for dinner is not-"

The clan head then caught sight of the girl on his son's back, and grunted.

"Who's that girl, Sasuke?" Mikoto asked first.

"Um, she's Kin. She says she's going to die tomorrow," Sasuke said nervously.

Fugaku rolled his eyes.

"Sasuke, you need to be at the stadium early tomorrow," Mikoto scolded. "I want you to take this girl home, wherever she lives, come back for your dinner, take a shower, and go to bed."

Fugaku then noticed Kin's forehead protector.

"She is not of the Leaf." He frowned. "Is she here for the Chunin Exams?"

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded. "Father, Mother, she says she's going to die tomorrow," he insisted. Hesitantly, he asked, "Can she stay here for the night? I don't want her leaving this place."

"Sasuke, you don't know anything about this girl," Mikoto shook her head. "All you heard is she's going to die. How will she die? Why will she die? I think it's all a big joke."

"She says she's going to be some kind of sacrifice in a Reanimation Jutsu or something."

Fugaku froze.

Mikoto froze as well.

"R-Reanimation?" Mikoto stuttered.

"There's only two techniques I know that's called the 'Reanimation'," Fugaku grunted again. "And only the Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation needs sacrifices to conduct."

"Then..." Mikoto started.

"Yes," her husband frowned. "The technique created by the Nidaime! But the only living soul who can use that is..."

"... Orochimaru."

The mention of the snake man's name made Sasuke gasp. Did his parents know who Orochimaru was?

"We have to inform Hokage-sama immediately."

On the roof of the house, Kabuto listened intently, all the while berating himself for not taking Kin back to Orochimaru when he had the chance. Now the plan was going to be foiled.

He contemplated breaking into the house and killing everyone inside, but afterwards considered his chances of success and decided to leave the Uchiha Compound instead.

_Orochimaru-sama is not going to be happy with me..._

* * *

"Sasuke! Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted happily as his teammates walked into the booth of Ichiraku Ramen.

"This is the last time we're gathering at Ichiraku's, Naruto," Sakura swore, as she watched Naruto finish what was seemingly his fifth bowl of ramen. "Come on, let's go!"

"Haven't you ate breakfast yet?" He whined.

"Already eaten," Sasuke shrugged. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

"Okay! Goodbye, old man!" Naruto waved to the owner of the stand.

"Good luck, Naruto!" Teuchi smiled.

Team 7 raced to the stadium, and eventually reached, just on time.

They joined the assembled Genin who'd passed the preliminaries. Naruto glanced at the crowded atmosphere of the stadium, taken aback by the sheer number of people who were going to watch the third exam.

Shikamaru and Choji were hanging out at one corner. They waved to the team.

The Sabaku siblings were also in another corner of their own. Naruto fixed his gaze on Gaara, wondering how he could defeat the sand-wielding Genin.

Tenten and Shino were both in corners of their own, hanging out alone. Shino looked as lonely as ever, while Tenten had closed eyes and seemed to be taking a nap.

"Just on time, Naruto," Shikamaru smirked, walking over with Choji. The Akimichi boy was, as usual, munching on his chips.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled into his face. "Have you been training hard, huh?!"

"Not really," the shadow manipulator shrugged. "I spent these two months lazing around, watching clouds and learning a new jutsu. That's all."

"You're going to lose, then," Sasuke looked towards Temari. "None of those Sabaku guys are pushovers."

"Meh," Shikamaru shrugged again. "I don't care about losing. Choji and I are here against our own wills, anyway," he sat down, prompting Team 7 to sit down as well. "I would give up, but if I did, Ino and Asuma-sensei will be spending the next week chewing me off."

As Naruto and Sakura conversed with Shikamaru and the chip-munching Choji, Sasuke looked away.

_I hope Kin's alright... _

* * *

"Welcome to the stage for the third and final stage of the Chunin Exams, everybody."

Hiruzen Sarutobi proceeded to give a long, drawn-out speech. He plopped back down onto his seat, but quickly got up again as the Fourth Kazekage made his appearance.

Hiruzen smiled and nodded at the Kazekage.

_We were lucky Sasuke ran into that girl from the Sound,_ the Third thought, as he proceeded to converse with the 'Kazekage'. _I wouldn't have guessed you would try to invade Konoha during the Chunin Exams... I would never have guessed you would ally with the Sand and pose as the Kazekage! But we are well-prepared for you, thanks to your subordinate. Ironic, isn't it? Orochimaru...? _

He shot a knowing smile at the disguised Orochimaru.

The Hokage himself had interrogated Kin in the early hours of the morning, after she'd sobered up with a good night's sleep. He didn't exactly approve with Ibiki's methods being used on a young girl.

Through this, the old Hokage had learnt everything about the Sand-Sound invasion, and what Orochimaru planned to do the next day.

Hiruzen had then called an emergency meeting, and now almost every shinobi of Chunin-level and above knew of the coming invasion, and they also knew what role they were going to play to defend their village after a three-hour long meeting.

_You won't have your way today, Orochimaru. _

* * *

Hidden microphones around the huge arena of the stadium amplified the voice of Genma, the proctor for the final exam.

"Sasuke Uchiha and Kankuro Sabaku. Please come down to the arena now to begin your match."

"Uchiha! Uchiha!" The crowd chanted.

Sasuke leaped into the arena, followed by Kankuro.

In the stands, Itachi and his parents watched Sasuke get into a taijutsu stance. _Remember our training, Sasuke,_ he thought. _Show the Sand what you've got. _

"The Uchiha is up first, what luck." Izumo grinned.

"Yeah," Kotetsu agreed, seated beside him. "We are in for a pretty entertaining battle."

"So you are the Uchiha boy everyone's been talking about in this exam," Kankuro smirked, unwrapping the bundle on his back to reveal his Crow puppet. "I can finally test my puppet skills against someone worthy of witnessing them."

"Your puppets will be in pieces when I'm done with them," Sasuke replied harshly. He knew this puppeteer was going to be having an instrumental role in the invasion later on.

"Oooh. Bold words," Kotetsu grinned.

"Hmph. We'll see about that, Uchiha-san." Kankuro flexed his fingers, and Crow moved forward.

"Alright. The first match. Sasuke Uchiha vs Kankuro Sabaku." Genma nodded, stepping back. "Begin."

More cheers for Sasuke filled the arena.

_They both look evenly-matched,_ Kiba thought, sitting in the audience along with Hinata. _If Sasuke hasn't been training hard for the past two months, he has no chance against this puppet guy. He looks strong. _

"You can have the first move," Kankuro smirked.

"Sharingan!"

Activating his dojutsu, Sasuke felt the familiar pain sting his neck as he dashed forward to engage the puppet.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Blasting a fireball at Crow, Sasuke was dismayed as the puppet emerged from the smoke, unharmed.

"Crow is a puppet, and not a human being!" Kankuro chuckled. "He won't be affected by your weak attacks!" He thrust his arm forward. "Go forth! Crow!"

The puppet shot towards Sasuke, a scythe protruding from it's chest.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke dodged the blade with ease, and used Crow's head as a platform to jump towards Kankuro. Seeing this, the hooded puppeteer jerked his arm back, and Crow flew backwards to defend it's master.

"What a troublesome puppet," Sasuke commented, as he felt his kick sink into Crow's face.

"It's effective," Kankuro corrected, as Crow's blade attacked the Uchiha. Sasuke jumped back just in time.

_I guess it's time for this,_ Sasuke felt his neck, where the Cursed Seal was on the verge of breaking out.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

The mini fireballs were dodged by Kankuro easily, but Sasuke's true purpose was met rather quickly. The Cursed Seal broke out, and black marks covered half his face.

Hiruzen leaned forward, his eyes widening. _Itachi didn't take care of the seal?_

Orochimaru, in his Kazekage disguise, smirked with delight.

"Now, the real battle begins," Sasuke warned his opponent, as chakra burst out of him.

"What is this evil chakra?" Kankuro muttered, feeling a little fearful. "Crow!" He yelled. His puppet's mouth opened, and poison senbon flew towards Sasuke. The Uchiha boy made no attempt to dodge, and the senbon sank into his arm.

_Gotcha,_ Kankuro grinned. _This battle is mine to win. _

Unfortunately for the puppeteer, as Sasuke plucked the senbon off his arm, the wounds opened up by the needles healed in a flash.

_It's too bad for you this mark enhances my immunity,_ Sasuke thought, leaping towards Kankuro. _Your poison attacks will have no effect against me. _

"Take this!" Kankuro yelled. Crow fired senbon towards Sasuke again, but he brushed them off easily with a kunai. Said kunai was thrown towards Kankuro, but Crow jumped in front of the Suna Genin and knocked the short weapon away with it's scythe.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Sasuke unleashed his strongest Fire Style technique, sending a gigantic, roaring flame dragon towards his opponent. The crowd watched on in awe as the dragon slammed into Kankuro and exploded with a bang.

"That's the end for him!" Naruto grinned.

"Sasuke-kun is so strong," Sakura said in awe. She was amazed by her teammate's new ability to control the Cursed Seal.

Gaara was watching the battle with little worry etched on his face.

As the smoke from the Dragon Flame Jutsu cleared, Sasuke frowned to see a salamander-like puppet. It's body split open to reveal Kankuro within.

Gaara smiled. He knew his brother would use the Salamander.

"What?" Sasuke growled.

"Crow, my puppet, is for offense," Kankuro got out of the hollowed body. "But Salamander is for defense." He waved his fingers and Crow reappeared. "If I take cover in Salamander's body, I don't have to worry about taking a hit or two."

_That idiot, he's revealing all his secret techniques,_ Temari face-palmed.

Salamander disappeared in a puff of smoke as Kankuro resumed using Crow.

"I'll just have to get to you fast enough before you use your Salamander then."

"Probably," Kankuro chuckled. "But don't bet on it being successful. Besides you still have to deal with Crow!" He thrust his arm again, and Crow jumped forward to attack.

Diving away as Crow's scythe descended on him, Sasuke charged towards Kankuro, his enhanced speed allowing him to reach the hooded teen before his puppet could defend him.

"Eat this!" Sasuke landed a punch on Kankuro, knocking him backwards. Taking out a kunai, he swiftly slashed off the almost-invisible chakra strings connecting Kankuro's fingers to Crow, and the puppet fell to the ground.

"What...?! "

"Without his puppets, a puppeteer is rendered useless," Sasuke performed a few hand seals.

"Rookie of the Year, alright. He's doing this troublesome thing so effortlessly," Shikamaru pointed out. "That Genin from the Sand has no chance against him, even with his troublesome puppets."

Kakashi, from the stands, recognized the hand seals.

"He's already using that technique... that was quick."

Beside him, the one named Tenzo and Might Guy looked at him.

"That technique?" Tenzo asked, puzzled.

"Kakashi, my eternal rival! Don't tell me you taught him the-" Guy started.

"Yes," said Kakashi simply.

"But he's not even your student," protested Guy. "Focusing on helping other Genin is most unyouthful!"

"Itachi's saved my life before," Kakashi said with a sheepish eye-smile. "So this is a favor in return. Anyway, Shino only uses his parasitic insects, and that's only something his clan can train him in."

Back in the arena, Sasuke did the last of the hand seals and focused his Lightning-natured chakra into his right hand.

"You bastard," Kankuro growled.

"Call me what you like," Sasuke replied. "But this battle is over."

"W-What is that?" Naruto stared at the amount of Lightning chakra assembled into Sasuke's right hand.

"Kankuro! Get out of there!" Temari shouted in warning.

Raising his Sharingan eyes to confirm Kankuro's position, he charged.

"Chidori!"

Sasuke's hand slammed straight through Kankuro's chest.

"No! Kankuro!" Temari gasped.

Looking up, Sasuke grunted. 'Kankuro' was now a spiky-haired, three-eyed freak. Withdrawing his hand, Sasuke kicked Crow away and turned. Kankuro was now where Crow was lying earlier.

"You ripped a hole in my puppet," Kankuro said angrily, raising his hand. New chakra strings shot out and connected with Crow's body.

_He performed the Substitution Jutsu just in time,_ Sasuke thought. _Sheer luck. It won't happen again. Now I just need to find an opening once more to hit him with the Chidori a second time. _

"You scared me, you idiot," Temari called angrily.

Kankuro looked up at his sister and simply gave her a cheeky smile, before swinging his arm. Crow, despite having a ripped hole in it's chest, leaped forward and raised it's six arms. Senbon shot out from every arm.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

The mini fireballs destroyed every single senbon. Sasuke got into a taijutsu stance again.

_I'll need to conserve chakra if I want to use another Chidori. I'd better resort to taijutsu now. _

_This is frustrating,_ Kankuro groaned. _I haven't even been able to land one scratch on him. _

Surging forward, Sasuke used the speed his Cursed Seal gifted him to zip past Crow. When Kankuro pulled his puppet back, Sasuke got in the way and, once more, cut off the chakra strings with a kunai.

"Damn it," Kankuro swore. "W-Why are you... How are you so fast?! No one has managed to cut off my chakra strings twice in the same battle!"

In an instant, Sasuke was in front of Kankuro, and he grabbed the hooded boy by his collar, before throwing a strong punch that sent him crashing into a tree. Sasuke marched up to the fallen puppeteer, and continued raining punches on his face.

Hauling the puppet master up, Sasuke threw him forward and prepared his finishing move.

_He's going to use that Chidori again,_ Kankuro frowned. _I have to stop him! _

Reconnecting the chakra strings to Crow, Kankuro swung his arm, causing Crow to come forward. Sasuke made no attempt to dodge, and instead focused on charging up his Lighting Style attack.

Crow was on Sasuke in an instant, and used the scythe on it's torso to stab the young boy in the abdomen.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shrieked.

"Sasuke!" Itachi rose to his feet.

Suddenly, 'Sasuke' turned into a log.

"Chidori!"

"Gaaaaaahhh!"

Kankuro coughed out blood as he felt something stabbing into his lower back. He turned slightly to see Sasuke.

"Now, you die," Sasuke said coldly, in a twisted voice. His eyes were now glinting madly.

_No! Gotta... regain control... _

Sasuke's eyes flickered for a moment, and returned to their original self. Withdrawing his hand, Sasuke grabbed Kankuro and slammed him onto the ground.

"Kankuro!" Baki roared from the stands.

Placing his foot onto Kankuro's chest, Sasuke folded his arms, at the same time pushing the Cursed Seal back.

_That was... spectacular,_ Hiruzen leaned back into his chair. _He controlled Orochimaru's Cursed Seal effectively! Anko couldn't do that very well. _

"Looks like I win."

Kankuro couldn't speak. He felt rushing pain in the spot where Sasuke had impaled him, and passed out.

"Kankuro Sabaku can no longer fight." Genma nodded. "That means Sasuke Uchiha is the winner." He pointed towards Sasuke.

Cheers rang throughout the audience.

Temari was about to jump down towards the arena, but a cloud of sand appeared in front of her.

"Gaara!" Temari snapped.

"I'll go, Temari." Gaara said calmly. "Your match is the next up. Don't worry about Kankuro. I'm sure he'll be okay." Jumping down into the arena as Temari gave a defeated nod, Gaara lifted the fallen Kankuro up.

"Medics!" Genma called. Soon, Kankuro was carried away on a stretcher, with Gaara accompanying his older brother.

"It is now time for the second match. May Shikamaru Nara and Temari Sabaku get down here, please?"

* * *

**Too short, in my opinion, but nevertheless I'm happy with squeezing out another chapter. Kankuro may have seemed a little pathetic but that's because Sasuke was powered by the Cursed Seal. In the next chapter, Temari and Shikamaru begin their battle. Till next time! **


	27. Shikamaru vs Temari: A Troublesome Match

**And in this chapter, we move on to everyone's favorite lazy boy and Temari, one of my favorite kunoichi. As I write this, I have absolutely no idea how I am going to write this chapter. Let's see how my brain moves my fingers. **

**_imsabbel_: Nice tips there, might have to show you all my finished chapters before I release/publish them on this story just to get some of your views :P Naruto no jutsu at all? No, he did learn some pretty cool ones off-screen, or in this case, off-story.  
**

**_Aurora-chan_: Yes, I've been getting that a lot. Should have thought about it before I wrote the chapter, but hey, what's done is done :P  
**

**_merry1995_: Well, hopefully this chapter isn't too canon to you! :)  
**

**_SonYukiGoku'sSister_: Will he? Won't he? ;)  
**

**_zarethuzumi_: Draw? It would be impossible for Kankuro to match up to Sasuke with his Cursed Seal and Chidori, hehe. Crow contract? Interesting idea, but that's a decision for another time.  
**

**Thanks to _TheOrangeStar802, Pyr00tje, The True Not Important, imsabbel, Aurora-chan, merry1995, SonYukiGoku'sSister_ and _zarethuzumi _for the reviews! **

* * *

"It is now time for the second match. May Shikamaru Nara and Temari Sabaku get down here, please?"

"You were amazing, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, still a little bit in shock, as the raven-haired boy walked up the stairs to join the other Genin.

"Yeah, how did you learn how to do that Chidori thing?!" Naruto added.

Sasuke winked. "Secret."

"Bastard," Naruto glared.

"Asshole," Sasuke retorted.

Shikamaru cut them off as he walked in between the two.

"Looks like it's my turn," he yawned. He shot a glance towards Temari, who stared right back at him. "That woman seems a little crazy, not to mention troublesome... if she tries to kill me or something, help me out, alright?"

"You know we have your back, Shikamaru!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.

Shikamaru smirked and nodded, choosing to take the stairs down into the arena. Temari instead jumped down from her position. The two opponents looked towards each other.

Temari had a determined expression, while Shikamaru was staring at her like she was the most boring thing in the world.

"Alright, Chestnut, let's get this going."

"Chestnut?" Shikamaru frowned.

Temari smirked.

"What a drag," Shikamaru sighed. "I wouldn't have given those up to you if I knew you would come up with a stupid nickname."

"Are both Genin ready?" Genma nodded. "Begin."

"Let's see what you've got, Chestnut!" Temari roared, getting out her fan. She'd read about the Nara clan. They manipulated shadows to fight. All she had to do was avoid his shadow.

_She uses a fan as a weapon, so let's assume her attacks are based on wind,_ Shikamaru thought, jumping back into the shade of the trees. He leaned against the trunk and stared up towards the clouds. _Ahhh. So carefree. _

"Is he really staring at those clouds at a time like this?" Ino growled.

"Calm down, Ino," Asuma chuckled. "Perhaps he's thinking of a strategy."

Shikamaru placed his hands into the Rat seal.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu."

The lazy boy's shadow shot forward.

"Too easy," Temari scoffed, jumping back. The shadow soon refused to move any further, and she marked the spot with her fan. "Looks like your shadow can't reach me here, so I'll just have to attack from this spot!"

"Temari is a long-range fighter, too," Baki smiled. "That shadow boy has met his worst opponent."

Shikamaru withdrew his shadow, fixing his lazy gaze on her.

"Since you look so bored, I'll end this quickly," the blonde kunoichi boasted. Waving her fan, she called forth her attack. "Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

Shikamaru was forced to move from his position, as the attack meant for him soon demolished the trees he was originally crouching under. Grunting, he ran forward and did the Rat seal again.

This time, his shadow passed the spot Temari had marked, due to his change in position.

"Tsk." Temari jumped back again, until the shadow stopped moving.

"I just have to keep moving forward," Shikamaru yawned again.

"I'll defeat you before you catch me in that shadow," Temari replied confidently, waving her fan again. "Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

Racing away, Shikamaru only managed to dodge his opponent's attack slightly. He charged forward and swiftly released his clan's secret technique again. The shadow shot forward.

Grumbling in irritation, Temari leaped back and swung her fan.

"You won't be dodging this one. Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!"

A violent air current knocked Shikamaru off his feet, and he suddenly felt what seemed to be invisible blades slashing at his arms and legs to leave scars. He collapsed to his knees.

"What a drag," he mumbled, inspecting his new scars. _I need to formulate a strategy quickly... _

"Ready to give up yet?"

"I would, actually." Shikamaru sighed, getting up on his feet. "But my teammate will be spending her entire day tomorrow screaming at me."

Swiftly, his hands were back in the Rat seal, and the shadow raced forward eagerly. Temari's eyes narrowed as she continued jumping back.

"It is no use," she grinned at him. "This is a useless technique. No matter how much you try, your shadow will never reach me!"

"You're already looking exhausted," Shikamaru chuckled, watching as a bead of sweat rolled down Temari's cheek. "Looks like all I have to do is just exhaust you, huh?"

_He noticed it already? _Temari growled. It wasn't much of a surprise anyway. Dodging the shadows continuously had made her perspire profusely.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

Temari continued jumping back as the shadow attacked. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he concentrated. The shadow eventually reached it's limit again, but without taking any form of rest, the Nara boy raced forward a meter and proceeded to repeat his technique.

"You're irritating, you know that...?" Temari continued her back-jumps.

"And you're troublesome."

"What did you say?"

"Crazy woman..."

The shadow stopped again.

"Trust me, I find this as frustrating as you do," Shikamaru walked forward again, and repeated his clan's technique.

"Fuck off," she said angrily, and did another backflip.

This time, she slammed into the wall of the arena.

Shikamaru smirked.

"I forced you to keep going back on purpose," the shadow manipulator grinned.

"Asshole..."

"There's no time for you to say things like that!" Shikamaru's hands were in the Rat seal. "Shadow Possession Jutsu, success."

Temari's eyes widened as she realized Shikamaru was crouched in a similar position as she was. He got up, and she did as well. Growling, the fan-wielding Sand nin glared daggers at her opponent.

"You made me knock into the wall, and used your jutsu when I was distracted. Back-handed bastard."

"You like to swear a lot," Shikamaru commented. "Here's your punishment." He turned, and jerked his head forward. Temari wondered what he was doing, until she turned and jerked her head forward as well, resulting in her slamming her own head into the wall.

"Owww!"

"Hurts to be under my troublesome jutsu, doesn't it?" Shikamaru turned again, so he and his opponent could face each other.

"Shikamaaaaaruuu!" Ino shrieked. "Go get them, boy!"

"Ino, pipe down," Asuma said in embarrassment as some of the audience cast hateful looks towards his blonde student. His attention went back to the battle. "That Temari girl didn't give Shikamaru any time to think, but he still came up with a quick plan. What a typical Nara."

"Although this is a drag, I better not waste any time..." Shikamaru formed a series of hand seals, and ended it with a Rat. "You're the first to see my new troublesome technique... be thankful."

Temari growled.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Strangle Jutsu!"

Temari gasped as she felt something snaking up her body, and finally the shadow of a hand appeared on her neck.

"This thing is just a shadow... why can I feel it?!"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't know either, but it works."

"Let me go, Chestnut," she threatened. "Or I'll kill you when I'm out of this bind."

"Let's try something different," said Shikamaru, undeterred. "Either you give up... or I execute my jutsu."

The shadowy hand on Temari's neck tightened a little, making her cough.

Swallowing hard, Temari considered her options.

"I... I give up," she growled.

"Great decision." Shikamaru released the jutsu. Temari shot him a glare, and he returned it with a lazy smile.

"It is now time for the third match." Genma spoke. "May Sakura Haruno and Tenten come down to the arena please?"

* * *

**Well... that was shorter than expected. But hey, I tried. Shikamaru fighting is the hardest to write because I'm the type who likes his characters to just charge and forget about strategy, but in Shikamaru's case I can't do that :/ anyway next up, as you can guess, is Sakura vs Tenten, and possibly another short chapter. Until next time! **


	28. Overcoming Weapons: Sakura's Power

**Welcome back to another chapter of _Team Itachi_, where Sakura and Tenten will face off against each other in this particular chapter. **

**_Charrmed_: True story! ;)  
**

**_The True Not Important_: I'm excited myself on how I'll write this out. Thank you!  
**

**_Pyr00tje_: I like Sakura and Tenten too! :)  
**

**_Izaranna_: Of course! A Naruto with no Rasengan is the worst Naruto :P  
**

**_Pingeon_: Oh, the feels I got when you said this story was awesome. Thank you!  
**

**_XxWinterRosexX_: Yeah, I love Sakura and I just can't stand how people hate her because of her annoying Part I personality, so I switched it up a little.  
**

* * *

Sakura and Tenten looked at each other and nodded politely, before walking down to the arena together as Shikamaru and Temari took their leave. Naruto was obviously cheering for his teammate.

"Sakura-chaaaaaaaaaaaan! Go get them!"

Sasuke stared at both Genin in the arena. _As far as I know, that girl uses weapons as her... well, she uses weapons as her weapons. Hopefully Sakura learnt some defensive jutsu._

Sakura looked up and smiled at Naruto.

_You're so noisy, as always, Naruto... but sometimes it doesn't hurt to have someone like you. _She grinned as Naruto continued cheering for her and faced her opponent.

Seeing that neither Genin had anything to say to each other, Genma nodded.

"You may begin."

Within the audience, Kakashi turned to Tenzo.

"Say, Tenzo, didn't Itachi ask you for help in teaching this Sakura girl ninjutsu?"

"Yes," Tenzo nodded. "She learns pretty fast. Well, let's see if she'll put those skills to use."

Tenten unrolled a long scroll, and from it, at least twenty kunai popped out and shot towards Sakura.

"Earth Style: Terra Shield!"

A shield of earth rose to defend Sakura, and the kunai bounced off the hard rock.

Hiding herself behind the shield, Sakura did the Ram, Snake and Tiger seals. "Clone Jutsu." An intangible clone of Sakura popped out, and emerged from behind the shield.

"So you finally decide to show yourself." Tenten smiled. "I'm going to end this battle quickly! Ninja Tool: Million Blade Chaos!"

She unsealed another scroll, and countless kunai appeared in a puff of smoke. Multiple strings connected the short daggers to Tenten's fingers. She thrust her arm forward and the kunai rushed to impale Sakura.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto screamed.

'Sakura' started flickering as the kunai passed through her body, and finally disappeared.

Tenten was instantly on the alert as her kunai disappeared back into her scroll. "A Clone Jutsu?"

"Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu!" A muffled voice called.

"Below?!" Tenten looked downwards, as Sakura popped out from beneath. The weapons mistress had no time to react as Sakura's right fist turned into hard rock, and punched her chin.

Naruto gasped. "Great job, Sakura-chan!"

Tenten flew into the air, but landed on her feet. She rubbed her sore chin.

"I'm not done yet!" The brown-haired Genin warned, placing two scrolls in front of her and unrolled them.

_That's the Rising Twin Dragons attack she used on Ino! _Sakura realized, stepping back.

Releasing smoke, the unrolled scrolls flew into the air, and Tenten jumped in between them.

"Rising Twin Dragons!" The scrolls began shooting all sorts of projectile weapons at Sakura. "Take this!"

"Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu!" Sakura sunk into the ground, and the weapons couldn't follow. Tenten cursed as she landed back on the ground, watching the arena floor warily for any signs of attack.

"Woooah. Sakura-chan learnt a lot of cool jutsu, don't ya think, Sasuke?"

"Yes," Sasuke agreed. "She must have practiced hard." Then he snickered. "Unlike you, probably."

"Oi, oi, oi!" Naruto jabbed a finger into his teammate's chest. "You'll see how good I am later on in my fight!"

Shikamaru shook his head at the two arguing Genin. "What a drag."

_Sakura..._ Ino stared, wide-eyed at her rival as she used jutsu after jutsu.

Suddenly, Sakura emerged from the ground again, her fist encased in rock. Tenten jumped away just in time.

"Ninja Tool: Million Blade Chaos!"

"Earth Style: Terra Shield!"

Sakura pressed her back against the shield, breathing heavily as her shield was assaulted by the rain of kunai. A few weapons got past the shield, but also flew past her.

Tenten paused, swinging a spiked iron ball in her hands, ready to attack the pinkette if she appeared. She was left waiting, however.

"Come out now, and I promise I'll make it quick," the brown-haired girl said in a reassuring tone. From her position beneath the ground, Sakura snorted.

Grabbing a kunai, Sakura maneuvered her way through the ground before poking her head out to see she was now behind Tenten. With a satisfied nod to herself, Sakura pulled her entire body out of the ground.

Aware of her presence, Tenten turned sharply and swung the iron ball in her hand. Unprepared for such a weapon, Sakura tried to combat it with her kunai, but the short knife was easily swept away and Sakura was left clutching to her bleeding hand.

"Hwaaah!" Tenten swung the iron ball.

Gasping, Sakura was unable to dodge fast enough, and had no choice but to raise her hand to shield herself.

The spikes of the ball stabbed into her flesh as the weapon slammed into her left arm. Trying desperately to ignore the pain, Sakura took the opportunity to kick Tenten in the stomach, forcing the tomboyish kunoichi to back away.

Clutching onto her bleeding arm, Sakura took a few steps back, unable to resist a painful groan escaping her lips.

She heard Naruto continuously cheering for her in the background and with resolve, Sakura ignored her new wounds and made two hand seals, seeing her right fist encased in stone once more.

Charging forward, Sakura threw her fist forward, and Tenten countered it with her iron ball.

To Tenten's horror, Sakura's stone-covered fist knocked the iron ball out of her grasp, and proceeded to deal the weapon-using ninja a hard punch up the gut.

"She's using all her Earth Style ninjutsu perfectly," Kakashi observed. "You should consider dropping out of the ANBU full-time and becoming a Jonin sensei, y'know?"

"No thanks, Kakashi-senpai," Tenzo chuckled. "I would have to use my real name."

"Speaking of real names, what is your real name?"

"Speaking of masks, why won't you show us your face?"

"We weren't talking about masks."

"It works," Tenzo shrugged.

"Speaking of youth-"

"Shut up, Guy," Tenzo rolled his eyes, making Guy pout.

Kakashi smirked and turned his attention back to the battle.

"Chaaaa!" Sakura jumped into the air and her right foot flew forward. Tenten shielded herself from the kick with a sharp dagger she'd brought out.

Using her stone fist to snatch the dagger and tossing it away, Sakura tried another kick, but this time Tenten blocked it with her arms.

Sakura then raised her stone fist, and tried to punch Tenten in the face, but her opponent did a graceful leap into the air.

Before Sakura could react, chain ropes wrapped around her body, restraining her.

"Finally got you," Tenten smirked, jumping into the air again and unrolling another scroll. A mix of shuriken and kunai was unsealed, and flew towards the restrained Sakura.

Sakura smirked as well.

"Got me? Are you sure?"

Tenten's eyes narrowed.

"You're going to have a lot of scars on your body in approximately twelve seconds. Don't be cocky."

Her reply was a strong tug on her chain. Tenten looked down at her right hand, which was holding onto the chain rope restraining her opponent tight.

Suddenly, Tenten was pulled to the ground, as the chain in her hand dragged her forward.

Wincing in pain at the friction, Tenten let go, getting up and dusting herself off, but when she'd noticed it, it was too late. Now standing in the exact same spot Sakura was twelve seconds ago, the barrage of kunai and shuriken ravaged her body.

Sakura grinned at the screams of pain she heard, and emerged from underground a meter away from Tenten.

The last of the kunai stabbed into Tenten's shoulder and she collapsed to the ground.

"H-How?"

"You restrained my body and hands," Sakura stated. "But the Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu doesn't require a hand seal."

Her eyes widened in realization.

Then she staggered back on her feet, pulling out all the weapons that were embedded in her body. Growling, Tenten walked up to where her iron ball was lying, and picked it up.

Lee and Neji watched their teammate struggling from the stands.

"To think her opponent would use her own weapons against her..." Neji muttered.

"Aye! But the Flames of Youth in Tenten burns strong!"

Neji could not disagree with Lee for once. "Yes. If it was a normal Genin in Tenten's place, she wouldn't be moving at all."

Sakura got out three shuriken.

"Round Two?" She grinned.

"Yes..." Tenten shot her a weak grin back. "... Round Two."

_I don't have much chakra left,_ Sakura thought. _I have to wrap this up quickly._

Tenten charged at her, swinging her iron ball.

"Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu." Sakura pushed chakra into both her hands, and now her right and left fists were encased in stone.

"Hyaaa!" Tenten swung her weapon.

Sakura placed her fists protectively in front of her, and the iron ball swiped against her stone-covered hands. Tenten then crouched and sent the iron ball to her feet, and Sakura managed to jump up in time to give Tenten a kick in the cheek.

"Tenten's fighting a losing battle..." Neji said worriedly. "She's already badly wounded from all those kunai and shuriken earlier. She can't do much more now."

As Tenten was distracted with the new pain in her cheekbone, Sakura saw this as an opening. She did the Tiger hand seal.

"Genjutsu: Infinite Darkness."

The audience only saw Tenten looking around, but to the weapons mistress, her sight had been completely taken away from her. Everything was pitch black.

_I've got to finish it with this..._ Sakura did five hand seals. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon!"

Tenten heard Sakura saying this, but she could not see where the attack was coming from. Desperately, she looked around, but the mud dragon had already slammed into her gut.

Tenzo had told Sakura how effective it was, and now she could see it for herself as Tenten coughed out a ton of blood.

"And now, the finale..." Tenzo declared to Kakashi and Guy.

Sakura was thinking the exact same thing as she raised her hands.

"Earth Style: Landslide!"

Piles of rocks and earth rose from the ground, flying up into the air. Sakura thrust her hand downwards, and the flying dirt fell and piled onto Tenten, mimicking a landslide as Sakura cancelled her genjutsu

"Tenten!" Neji yelled.

"Tenten's fiery Flames of Youth have been extinguished!" Lee said in despair.

"That was not an unyouthful killing move, was it?" Guy asked in anxiety, and Tenzo shook his head no.

"Although... it can do a lot of injury. But there's little chance your student's dead."

"Little chance?!" Guy yelled. "That is most unyouthful-"

"Calm down, Guy," Kakashi assured. "I'm sure Tenten is fine."

Tenten's head suddenly poked out of the dirt. Genma ran up quickly and stuck his hands into the rocks to force Tenten's body out.

Carrying the now unconscious Tenten in his arms, Genma set her down, before yelling for a medic. He then turned towards the panting Sakura, who looked rather depleted of energy.

Nodding, the Special Jonin pointed to Sakura.

"Tenten is no longer able to fight, and thus, the winner of this match is Sakura Haruno!"

"Yaaay! Sakura-chan!" Naruto shrieked.

"That was brilliant," Sasuke said, matter-of-factly. "There's no way she's not becoming a Chunin after that display."

After Chunin had come in to clear the arena up as best as they could, Genma spoke again.

"It is time for the fourth match. Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara Sabaku, please come down to the arena."

"My turn!" Naruto said cheerfully, pumping his fist into the air as Sakura came up to join her team.

"Good luck, Naruto," Sasuke patted his back.

"Yeah. Good luck, Naruto," Sakura smiled.

"Sakura-chan, you were awesome!" Naruto shot a boyish grin at his female teammate. "But I'm going to be even more awesome in my match, believe it!"

"Sure, sure," Sakura rolled her eyes, although she was smiling inside. "Go get 'em, Naruto."

As Naruto jumped down into the arena, Gaara stared at the television inside the stadium's medical center as Genma called for him to go to the arena. It was broadcasting the Chunin Exams live.

"Gaara, go," Temari spoke up, her eyes sweeping towards the doctors working on Kankuro. "I'll be here."

Nodding, Gaara smiled at his sister, before making his way down the tunnel towards the stadium.

* * *

**What did you think of the battle between Sakura and Tenten? I'm not praising myself (maybe I am) but I think I wrote it better than expected. Next up will be Naruto versus Gaara - probably the match everyone has been waiting for. See you all next chapter! **


	29. Gaara & Shukaku: The Beast Within Him I

**Not gotten any criticism for quite a few chapters. Let's see how long that can last. :P **

**I know everyone has been waiting for it - Naruto vs Gaara, but I'm sorry to say I'll be writing something short on Gaara, like how he managed to control Shukaku, and how instead of the self-loving killer he was supposed to become, instead became a normal kid. It's something like Kakashi Gaiden, and a last-minute think-up of mine. **

**Well, hope you enjoy! **

**_Pyr00tje_: I thoroughly dislike bashing fics too. The only thing I can stand is _very little_ Sasuke bashing, but I have read some fics that bash Sakura, purely because the fic is brilliant, and only has that one flaw. Thanks for your feedback!  
**

**_AelitaOfTheWolves_: I'll have to keep you waiting, unfortunately!  
**

**_The True Not Important_: Nice to see that someone likes Tenten's iron ball! :)  
**

**_Charrmed_: I'm glad you stayed! ;)  
**

**Thanks to _Aurora-chan, Pyr00tje, AelitaOfTheWolves, The True Not Important _and _Charrmed _for the reviews!**

* * *

"Halt!"

The Suna guards eyed the two newcomers suspiciously.

"State your intentions. Depending on what they are, we will allow you to enter the Hidden Sand."

One of the guards then noticed the two strangers were both blonde females, and also ninjas, judging from their forehead protectors. He also noticed they were both rather cute, but his cautious nature overtook his perverse thoughts.

_What business do two Kumo ninjas have in the Sand? _

A letter was handed over to the guard who had spoken.

"We are delivering a letter to the Kazekage on behalf of the Raikage. Political business. It's confidential."

Nodding, the guard returned the letter.

"State your names, and we will let you pass."

"Samui of the Hidden Cloud."

"Yugito Nii, of the Hidden Cloud."

The guards stepped aside.

"Enter."

Yugito and Samui entered.

"So, Samui, shall we head up to the Kazekage's first?"

Samui simply nodded, and the two Kumo kunoichi made their way towards the Kazekage's residence.

Along the way, the citizens of the desert-like village cast them suspicious glances. A Suna shinobi also noticed their different forehead protectors, and cast a cautious gaze towards them as the two blondes walked past.

Samui and Yugito ignored all of that, knowing it was common. It wasn't everyday you got ninjas from a different village walking around in your village, after all.

They stepped into the first floor of the tower.

There was a counter, and behind it was a man with a hood covering the left side of his face. Distinctive red markings were painted on his right cheek.

"Greetings. I am Baki. Kazekage-sama has been expecting you."

Getting up, Baki led Samui and Yugito up a long flight of stairs, and finally, in front of the Kazekage's office door. Baki knocked thrice.

"Come in."

Opening the door, Baki walked up to address the leader of his village. Yugito took a close look at the Kazekage. She had been brushing up on her history and geography lately, and because of this, the Two-Tails container knew that this Kazekage was the Fourth.

The Fourth was a middle-aged man with messy red hair. His Kazekage hat and mask was hung neatly on a nearby hanger, and he only wore his regular Kazekage outfit.

"Kazekage-sama," Samui said respectfully, bowing.

Yugito almost forgot about greeting the Sand leader. She quickly bowed as well. "Kazekage-sama."

"Arise," the Fourth replied. "Baki, you may leave us."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama." Baki exited the room as quickly as he'd entered.

Yugito walked forward and placed an envelope on the Kazekage's desk.

The Yondaime inspected the envelope closely, and noticed it was sealed. Just as he was about to ask the question, Yugito placed her hands into a hand seal.

"Unseal."

The seal disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the Kazekage took out the letter within. Reading the contents of the letter, the redhead set it down.

"Thank you for coming," the Yondaime had only the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "I will have my reply written by tonight, so please come by tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, you can stay here in my tower. On the third floor are the guest rooms. Pick whichever you like."

Samui and Yugito nodded. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama."

"Now... which one of you is the Jinchuriki?"

Both Cloud shinobi froze.

The Yondaime quickly raised his hands.

"No, no. I don't mean any harm," he assured. Samui relaxed, but Yugito still had a cautious look on her face.

"Me," she finally said. "I'm the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tailed Monster Cat, Matatabi."

"Interesting."

"Why do you ask, and how do you know?"

"How do I know? Well, I have my sources," the redhead said mysteriously. "And for why..."

"Well?" Yugito prompted.

"It just so happens that my son is the container of the One-Tailed Shukaku."

Hearing this, Yugito's eyes widened in surprise. She had no idea that Suna had a Jinchuriki of their own.

"Unfortunately, he is unable to control his Tailed Beast." The Fourth revealed with a grim look on his face. "... Something happened last night, and his anger made the Shukaku come out. He nearly destroyed the village, until I stopped him."

"And?" Samui asked, now realizing why a few of the buildings within the village looked like they had went through a war.

"I just want to know if you can help my son control the beast," the Kazekage now fixed his gaze firmly on Yugito.

Samui looked away, expecting her companion to refuse. Yugito disliked teaching or being a sensei, she knew.

"Sure, I'll do what I can."

Samui frowned at Yugito's words, but said nothing.

"Very well. Thank you. My son's room is on the fourth floor. It's the only bedroom on that floor - you can't miss it."

As Samui and Yugito departed from the office of the Kazekage, Samui turned to her friend. She didn't need to ask, for her questioning gaze already told Yugito what she wanted to know.

"I just feel I should help a fellow Jinchuriki out," was the answer.

Samui was apparently satisfied with the reply, and nodded.

As the two kunoichi arrived at the fourth floor, she extended her palm to Yugito. Understanding, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki relieved herself of her heavy backpack and passed it to Samui.

As Samui walked further down the stairs, Yugito walked down the fourth floor corridor, and finally saw a door.

She knocked softly.

"Go away!"

Yugito was stunned. By the voice, she could tell the person behind was no older than a child. She persisted in her knocking, and finally a redhead opened the door and glared hatefully at her.

"What do you want?"

The most noticeable of his features was the kanji for 'love' marked on his forehead. His looks were also strikingly similar to the Kazekage.

But what Yugito noticed most was how this boy looked no older than seven or eight. By roughly judging, Yugito narrowed his age down to seven or below.

"I'm Yugito, and-"

The child's hateful glare remained.

"I have no interest in your name. I asked you what you wanted, not who you were!"

Yugito was taken aback by the rudeness of this young boy, a mere kid. But she reminded himself that he was a Jinchuriki, and as such, was probably shunned and discriminated by a lot of the villagers.

"Right, I was getting to that. I am Yugito Nii of Kumogakure, and I'm here to deliver a letter to your father, the Kazekage, from our village's leader, the Raikage."

"Nobody cares." The kid was about to shut the door, but Yugito kept it open by sticking out her foot.

Sand emerged from behind the boy. The sand wrapped around her foot and forcefully pulled it away, allowing the child to shut the door. As he did, the sand disappeared.

Not giving up, Yugito pounded on the door again.

"Hey, kid! Open up! Believe me, I know what you're going through, because I've got a monster inside me as well, and-"

The door flew open.

"You've... got a... monster inside you... as well?"

Yugito smiled. "Yes... yes, I do. I'm here on behalf of your father to see how you're doing with your... um, monster."

The redhead's expression visibly soured at the mention of his father, but silently stepped aside to allow Yugito entrance. The Kumo kunoichi stepped into the room, and was surprised by how plain it looked. There were no toys, no decorations, just a bed, and some plain walls. The only decoration she could see was a picture of the redheaded boy himself, smiling slightly at the camera.

_**"Let's kill her, kid."** _

Yugito was shocked as the boy started screaming and clutching onto his head. Then he looked up to stare at Yugito with a crazed look.

"I'm sorry... but Mother says you have to die, so you have to die!" He roared. Yugito then noticed a shaking gourd in the corner of the room. Sand seeped out from it and attacked her.

_"Matatabi!" _Yugito called. Her hand transformed into a giant blue-colored claw, and she swiped the sand away.

"Crap." The boy crouched down, clutching his head again. Then he looked up, this time a sad look in his eyes. "I-I'm s-sorry."

Her hand going back to it's original shape, Yugito walked up and hugged the boy, surprising him.

"Don't worry about it, kid. I... I know what it's like... so don't feel so bad, okay?"

Yugito wasn't the comforting type, but her words apparently worked, as the kid's sad look was replaced by a small smile.

"M-My name is Gaara," Gaara introduced himself shyly. "I am... um... six-years-old this year."

_Six? Damn... _Yugito nodded. "I'm Yugito. I'm going to help you try controlling that beast inside of you, so it doesn't hurt you or anyone else anymore." Gaara nodded slowly. "By the way, that is not your 'Mother'."

Gaara looked away, ashamed. "Y-Yes. I know."

"So, stop referring to it as such! It's name is Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast."

"Okay," Gaara looked down. He felt safe around another one of his kind, but he had also felt safe around Yashamaru.

_How am I going to start?_ Yugito thought, cursing her inability as a teacher.

_**"Maybe you can find out what made him lose control of Shukaku last night, like the Kazekage said."** _

_"Good idea. Thanks, Matatabi." _

"Gaara," Yugito smiled. "Your father told me that... um, you almost destroyed the village last night. What happened?"

Gaara froze.

"M-My uncle, Yashamaru, has always been my only friend," he explained sadly.

Yugito tensed, reminded of her own childhood. At Gaara's age, she only had about one or two genuine friends. Her status as a Jinchuriki meant she wasn't exactly well-liked by most of the Kumo citizens.

"But yesterday he tried to kill me."

A tear ran down his cheek. Gaara didn't want to go into details, but his words were enough for Yugito to gasp. Betrayed by his only friend?

"He said something about... revenge," Gaara recalled. "Then he said how he never loved me, and even ended up committing suicide himself because he thought he could take me down together with him."

Gaara began sobbing at the memory.

"Oh my God... Gaara..." Yugito hugged him again, and Gaara returned the hug as he sobbed into his fellow Jinchuriki's shoulder.

"S-So..." Gaara sniffled. "A-After that... I just... fell a-asleep or something..." He tried his best to stop crying. "And when I woke up... everything was... well, like that."

Yugito understood. She simply smiled.

"Well, I'll make sure none of that ever happens again."

"Really?" Gaara's eyes lit up with hope.

"Yes. Really." Yugito jabbed her thumb towards herself. "I, Yugito Nii, will be your first true friend!"

Gaara smiled broadly. "I... I have a friend!"

Grinning, Yugito got up.

"I will have to go for now... but don't worry. I'll be back. Okay?"

"Y-Yes... Okay, Friend!" Gaara smiled. Yugito returned the smile with one of her own.

She remembered her fellow Jinchuriki in Kumo, and held out her fist.

Terrified, Gaara backed away, afraid that it was an offensive gesture.

_Did I do something wrong already? Is she not my friend anymore? _

"Gaara, this is a fist bump." Yugito's hands closed around his tiny hand, and instructed him to ball it up into a fist. When Gaara did, Yugito brought hers and his fist together.

"What does it mean?" Gaara asked in confusion.

"It is a sign that we are the best of buddies!" Yugito replied, grinning, reciting the exact same thing she had been told when she'd asked the very same question.

For the first time in God-knows-when, Gaara's grin stretched from ear to ear.

"Right... Buddies!"

* * *

**And that's the first part. Hopefully, I'll have the second part out by tomorrow. I want to speed this up so you guys can get the battle you are all waiting for. Until next time, goodbye!**


	30. Gaara & Shukaku: The Beast Within Him II

**The support I get is fantastic, and it encourages me to write as much as I can. That's why I dish out at least 1 chapter every 2 days whenever I can. :) **

**This chapter will be Part II of the Gaara & Shukaku arc. **

**_Pyr00tje_: Not yet :P  
**

**_The True Not Important_: Nice to see that I came up with something you didn't think of! :P **

**_Charrmed: _And here it is!**

**_Swordianspeed_: It's brilliant to know you recommend this to your friends. Thank you so much :)  
**

**Thanks to _Aurora-chan, Pyr00tje, imsabbel, Ivyfeather319, The True Not Important, Charrmed _and _Swordianspeed _for the reviews!**

* * *

There was a knock on the door, and Gaara jumped off his bed in excitement. He ran towards the door and opened it quickly. In stepped Yugito, who smiled down at him.

"Yugito-neechan!"

Yugito raised an eyebrow. "Neechan?" She laughed.

Gaara's eyes twinkled. "Yeah!"

Grinning, the blonde Jinchuriki knelt down to face Gaara.

"Not asleep yet, Gaara-chan?"

"Uh... about that," Gaara laughed nervously. "Moth- Shukaku, Shukaku, Shukaku," he reminded himself slowly. Then he continued. "Shukaku always comes out when I'm asleep. It's like when I'm angry. If I lose consciousness or something like that, Shukaku will come out. So I can't sleep."

Yugito gasped. That was horrible. "How long have you been like this?"

"Umm... I can't remember."

The Kumo kunoichi recalled her own experience with the monster cat within her. Matatabi was a nice Tailed Beast, and she didn't have much problems taming the Two-Tailed monster. The only real problems she faced was training to be one with Matatabi.

Matatabi seemed to have picked up on her thoughts, as the blue creature soon spoke.

_**"Yugito-chan, Shukaku isn't like me, or any of the Tailed Beasts for that matter. He's what humans would call a madman. Shukaku lusts for blood, and to kill. This Gaara kid got the worst of the lot."**_

Yugito nodded, understanding. She patted Gaara's head.

"Gaara-chan," she spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to know how to... sleep, again?"

"C-Can you help me do that?" Gaara asked excitedly.

"Yes," Yugito smiled. She got into a meditating position, and Gaara did the same. "If you want to forcefully contact the Tailed Beast within you, meditation is the easiest way to do so."

"What is this meditation you speak of?" Gaara asked curiously.

"This." Yugito closed her eyes. "Get in this position, close your eyes, and focus."

Gaara shook his head uncomfortably. "I might fall asleep."

"I'll be here," Yugito assured. Gaara seemed to be convinced, and he was soon doing his own meditating.

"W-What happens when I meet Shukaku, Yugito-neechan?"

"Reason with him. Ask him to stop influencing you and using you as a machine to kill," Yugito suggested, before recalling Matatabi's words to her about Shukaku's bloodlust. "Maybe you can make him a deal."

"A deal?"

"Since Shukaku likes killing so much, you can promise him, like, one person to kill per week," she suggested. "Suna has it's prisoners right? The ones who commit the most terrible of offences can be handed to Shukaku."

"That's a funny idea, but I'll try," Gaara nodded.

* * *

"What business do you have here, brat?"

The booming voice caused Gaara's eyes to fly open on instinct. He looked around, to see that the surroundings of Yugito and his room, were now replaced by a harsh desert.

His gaze shifted to a gigantic sand monster in front of him. Gaara felt fear rising from his stomach. He knew who this was.

"Shukaku," he spoke for confirmation.

"You dare to speak my name, brat?" Shukaku growled.

Gaara backed away in fear, but steadied himself. He reminded himself why he was here, and his head snapped up to look at the One-Tailed beast.

"Shukaku-san, please stop trying to influence me and using me as a machine to kill!" Gaara pleaded, repeating Yugito's words from earlier.

"Shukaku-san? Shukaku-_san_? Hahahaha!" The monster threw it's head back in mad laughter. "I could get used to that!"

"L-Look, S-Shukaku-san," Gaara heard himself stuttering in fear at the giant creature's laughter. "If you do as I ask... I'll let you kill one Suna prisoner per week."

Shukaku growled. "You dare to negotiate with me?"

"Uh... y-yes?"

Shukaku roared at him.

"S-Sorry!"

The Ichibi snorted. Then it spoke again.

"Seven prisoners per week."

"That's everyday! No way! The prison will run out of prisoners!"

"Allow me to remind you that you are seeking the permission of the great Shukaku here, boy!" Shukaku wagged one of it's fingers at it's container. "Only seven will be enough to appease me!"

"Three per week," Gaara continued on boldly.

Shukaku snorted again.

"Six."

"Four."

"Deal."

Gaara grinned broadly. "This was easier than I thought! I should have done this earlier! You are the best monster ever! Thank you, Shu-chan!"

"Shu-chan?" Shukaku roared threateningly. "And let me remind you that if you don't hold up on your end of the deal, I won't hold up on mine! Got it, you little brat?"

"Yes, Shu-chan!"

"Good. Now get out of here and let me enjoy my desert."

"How?"

Shukaku roared again, this time with frustration. "You get in here, but you don't know how to get out?!"

Gaara rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"You just think about getting out of here, and you focus," Shukaku sighed.

"Okay, see you later, Shu-chan."

"Shu-chan?! Let me lay the law for you - call me the 'Great Shukaku'! Not something stupid like-"

Gaara was already gone, and Shukaku cursed.

* * *

Gaara's eyes opened slowly, and he saw Yugito again in front of him.

"Gaara-chan! How did it go?"

"Great," Gaara smiled weakly.

"Great?" Yugito said warily. "I didn't expect you to succeed on the first try. That was easy."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too!" Gaara grinned. "But Shu-chan said he wanted four prisoners per week instead of one."

"Shu-chan?" Yugito chuckled.

_**"That Shukaku is still as crazy for blood as ever,"** _Matatabi sighed.

"Okay, since it's all settled, I think I'll be going to bed now. You should sleep too. A six-year-old must have his sleep if he wants to grow strong!" She laughed, and gave Gaara a fist bump.

"Yugito-neechan, can you tuck me in?"

Yugito blinked, but nodded. She grabbed the redhead and carried him to his bed. Carefully, the blonde set her friend down and pulled the covers over his body. Gaara's head stuck out, and he smiled at Yugito.

"Thank you, Yugito-neechan. That's the first time anyone has ever tucked me in like that."

Smiling, Yugito kissed his forehead.

"Good night, Gaara-chan."

* * *

The Kazekage absentmindedly flipped through his documents, yawning as he did so. He had an important meeting with the council later on and he had to get his notes prepared for it.

Gaara burst into his office.

"Gaara, you have to knock before you enter," the Yondaime said sternly.

"Father, where is Yugito-neechan?" Gaara asked in panic.

"She left early in the morning with her companion," said the Kazekage, signing some papers at the same time. "I've heard about how she helped you with Shukaku, and I've agreed to let four prisoners to you every week."

"B-But how can she leave without saying goodbye?" Gaara said tearfully. He was on the verge of crying - making his first friend, and then practically losing her after a day.

Seeing his crying son, the Kazekage sighed.

"She left a message for you." He held up a piece of paper. Gaara walked forward and snatched it out of his father's hands.

_Dear Gaara, _

_If you are reading this, then I have left Suna and returned to Kumo. I am sorry for not being able to say goodbye before leaving, so I'll say it on this note. Gaara-chan, you are going to be a great shinobi when you grow up. I can't wait to see you as a Genin. You'll be the best of them all, I'm sure. Don't be afraid anymore because I'm certain with training, you can control yourself and Shukaku. Below, I have drawn a training regime for you to follow until you are confident that you and Shukaku can fully work as a team. I'll be visiting again soon. Goodbye and see you again!_

Yugito 

Gaara smiled.

_Thank you for everything, Yugito-neechan. _

* * *

**That wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but this is over and we can now move on to Naruto and Gaara's fight, for real this time, in the next chapter. Naruto and Gaara - the Kyuubi and the Ichibi - Kurama and Shukaku - the fox and the tanuki. Who will prevail? Until next time! **


	31. Leaf & Sand: Jinchuriki vs Jinchuriki

**Finally, it's here. The match you've all been waiting for. Naruto vs Gaara. Like the match with Shikamaru and Temari, I have absolutely NO IDEA what I'm going to write and I'm just going to let my fast-paced brain move my fingers. Let's see how that turns out.**

**_Qwert_: I'm glad I did.  
**

**_The True Not Important_: Your reviews are always a pleasure to read :) thank you! **

**Thanks to _Corpj123, merry1995, Qwert _and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!  
**

* * *

"Will Gaara Sabaku please come down to the arena please?"

Genma had been repeating the exact same words for the fourth time now. Naruto was getting impatient. He mentally went through every skill he'd learnt so far in the head.

"I'm here, I'm here," Gaara walked into the arena. He nodded towards Genma, then looked at Naruto. "I am looking forward to see how you fight against me... Naruto Uzumaki."

_Naruto better win, _Sasuke thought.

_Come on Naruto! _Sakura had similar thoughts running through her mind.

_This blonde kid has no chance against Gaara,_ Temari shook her head, staring at the television. Worriedly, she glanced over towards the still unconscious Kankuro.

"What do you make of his chances, Neji-san?" Lee asked his teammate.

"Hm." Neji stared at Naruto, then to Gaara. "Naruto will win."

"Yosh! Neji-san, you're so confident!"

"Yes," Neji had the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. "His opponent might look a lot stronger, but if Naruto fights him the way he fought against me, this match will be in his favor."

Naruto looked at his opponent, then to everyone in the arena. At least half the crowd was cheering for him! He smiled, happy that there was no calls of 'Kyuubi brat' yet.

"Begin."

"Come on, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

With burning resolve, Naruto put his hands into the Shadow Clone seal.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Fifty Naruto clones appeared behind him, and charged towards Gaara.

Gaara simply kept his arms folded, making no movement.

A wave of sand appeared from his gourd, blasting away ten clones.

Gaara raised his hand, and a gigantic spiked missile made of sand appeared in the air. He jerked his hand forward and the missile swept towards the original. Naruto's clones rushed to protect him, and the missile managed to get rid of another twenty clones.

The remaining twenty clones all withdrew their katanas.

"Leaf Style: Extreme Crescent Moon Dance!"

Gaara blinked, and in an instant, his shield rose up. To his shock, one clone managed to bypass the shield - such was the speed of his opponent. The Sand's Jinchuriki jumped back before said clone could swing his weapon.

"You are fast," Gaara admitted. He raised his hand in the air. "Sand Shower!"

A cloud of sand appeared in the air, and sand lumps were shot from it to attack the clones. Every single clone was dispersed with ease, and with that, the sand cloud vanished.

"Alright." Naruto unsheathed his swords. "No more games. The Naruto Uzumaki ninja show starts now!"

Gaara's arms went to their folding position. "Come, Naruto Uzumaki. Show me what you've got."

"Gladly!"

In a period of two seconds, Naruto was behind Gaara, thrusting his sword forward. The Sand Shield quickly came up to protect the Sabaku, and a giant fist of sand appeared.

Leaping away to avoid the fist, Naruto did the Shadow Clone hand seal.

"Sword Clone Jutsu!"

Countless Naruto clones appeared in the air, and they all threw their katanas toward Gaara and dispersed after the weapons left their hands. Everyone in the arena was awed by the sight, but Gaara simply knelt down.

As the katanas looked like they were going to hit, a shelter of sand appeared on top of the sand-wielding boy, leaving him unaffected by the rain of swords. Naruto gritted his teeth.

_This guy is a toughie... _

Focusing, Naruto did what Itachi had taught him - infusing his blades with Wind chakra.

"Is that all you've got... Naruto Uzumaki?" Gaara raised his palm. "Sand Shuriken!"

The sand shuriken flew towards Naruto, but he countered the throwing stars with his newly-chakra-infused sword. The weapon sliced through the shuriken, and Gaara's eyes widened in genuine amazement.

Attacking again, Naruto managed to land a kick on Gaara's face, bypassing the Sand Shield again.

Knocked back by the kick, Gaara sent a wave of sand towards the blonde. Smirking, Naruto broke into a series of slashes, easily dividing the sand apart.

_His swords... they can get through my sand?! _

Naruto charged forward again.

_This is bad! _Gaara jumped back, but Naruto was much, much faster. A sword was thrust forward, and the Sand Shield popped up.

Temari stared at the television screen in horror as the katana _stabbed_ through the Sand Shield, and towards Gaara.

Gaara reacted quickly, and his hand flew up to grab the blade, stopping it from puncturing his chest. The weapon managed to draw some blood from his fingers.

"Heh. I aren't half bad, am I?"

"No," Gaara admitted.

The Sand Shield transformed into two giant spikes.

"Uh oh." Naruto released his grip on his katana and ducked as the spikes flew forward. The next moment, a fist of sand slammed into his gut, throwing him back. Gaara tossed Naruto's katana away, and suspended it in mid-air with his sand.

Drawing his last katana, Naruto infused it with Wind chakra like before, and sprung towards Gaara.

He swung the blade, but Gaara jumped over the orange-wearing Genin. Sand tightened around Naruto's neck, pulling him to the ground.

Another sand spike appeared in the air, and Gaara positioned it directly above Naruto's abdomen.

"Stabbed, strangled, or give up. You choose," said Gaara coldly, to intimidate his opponent.

"How about neither!" A voice called from behind.

Turning sharply, Gaara was met with a punch in the face by a Naruto clone. A second one managed to land a kick on his chest. The distraction made the sand on Naruto's neck loosen, and the spike also dissolved.

The two clones dispersed, and Naruto smirked victoriously.

"So you had two clones hidden within the trees..." Gaara nodded slowly. "Smart of you."

Naruto got ready to resume his battle, until he heard a voice calling in his head.

_**"Brat!" **  
_

_"Are you the... Kyuubi?" _

Instantly, he felt powerful chakra coursing through his veins. Naruto frowned at the new power he felt, but wasn't one to complain. With an almighty battle cry, Naruto reappeared in front of Gaara, his katana raised in the air.

Materializing a real, solid shield from his sand, Gaara managed to block the attack in time, but the chakra-infused blade cut his shield into two.

"Wind Style: Razor Wind!" Naruto swung his sword.

Invisible wind blades flew towards Gaara, and the redhead's Sand Shield took the hit.

_It's not only me and Sakura..._ Sasuke thought. _Naruto... he's learnt a lot of new jutsu as well... _

_You're lucky your chakra is of a Wind nature, Naruto,_ Itachi thought with a smile on his face. _Only the cutting nature of the Wind chakra can slice through sand like this. _

_Suddenly, I don't regret getting defeated by Naruto at all..._ Neji smirked.

"Naruto-kun is burning with the Flames of Youth!" Lee howled, passion burning in his eyes.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Fifty Naruto clones appeared to occupy his opponent, as Naruto went into a crouching position.

_That's all the techniques I've learnt so far... except for that Pervy Sage's Summoning Jutsu thing. Should I use it? _

_**"Brat! Of course I'm the Kyuubi!"** _

Naruto blinked. He had forgotten about the Fox.

_"U-Uh right. Kyuubi. What's up?" _

_**"Brat, that kid is like you. He holds the Ichibi, the One-Tailed Shukaku!"**_

Naruto's head snapped up to look at his opponent, who was dispatching his Shadow Clones with ease.

Gaara gazed towards Naruto as he dispersed ten clones in one shot.

_Is he buying time for something? _

_**"Me and Shukaku have got what you humans would call an 'intense rivalry'... and I don't want to see his container win, so I'm lending you some of my chakra, like I did in your fight with the Hyuga. Be thankful, you worthless boy."**_

_"Ah! So it was you!" _

_**"Yes, be thankful, you little brat! No container of mine should be losing to a pathetic Hyuga!"**__  
_

Naruto winced at the Kyuubi's harsh lecture, as Gaara disposed of the last of his clones.

_"Well, I guess we'll be working together-"_

_**"Don't think this is a long-term thing, brat! I still think you're pathetic! I just want to take down Shukaku!" **  
_

_"You foxy bastard, why don't you learn to be more polite-" _

_**"In front of you, you idiot!"**__  
_

Naruto raised his katana, slashing apart the three Sand Shuriken that were about to hit him in the face.

_"Thanks!" _

_**"Learn to be more careful, brat! I'm going to giving you more of my chakra now!"**_

Red chakra seeped out of Naruto, and his body began to be coated with the cloak of the Nine-Tails. However, his eyes remained their original blue. The Third leaned forward, surprised.

"Jinchuriki?"

Hiruzen turned to the 'Kazekage', and merely smiled.

"Time to get the real battle started," Naruto swung his katana wildly in the air. The green glow of the chakra-infused weapon left a greenish trail behind it.

Gaara got into a battle stance.

_**"Oi, kid."**_

_"Shu-chan?" _

Naruto raced forward, his speed enhanced by the Kyuubi's chakra, and raised his sword.

Sand quickly tightened around his wrist. Naruto cried out in pain, releasing his weapon. The sand then raised him in the air, and spread to his body.

_Whatever Shu-chan wants, he can wait,_ Gaara thought, blocking out his Tailed Beast. _This Naruto guy... if I don't win this battle quickly, I'll be the one defeated. _

"Sand Coffin."

"That's the technique he used on me!" Lee exclaimed. "Is he going to do the unyouthful thing of crushing Naruto-kun?"

Naruto was raised into the air.

_"Kyuubi!"_

_**"Don't panic, brat."**_

Gaara's hand was in an open palm. "Give up, or get crushed."

To his surprise, the sand around Naruto slowly dissolved away, and soon, he was free again.

"Think again!" Naruto grinned.

Gaara backed away. _Is it that... cloak surrounding him? _

There were now two tails protruding from Naruto's back. These two tails positioned themselves on Naruto's shoulders, and suddenly, in between these two tails was a purple energy ball.

A moment later, Gaara's right and left hands had grown gigantic, and seemed to be made out of sand. These two hands also came together, another purple energy ball forming in between.

_Shu-chan is taking over..._ Gaara frowned. _What does he know about this... Naruto? _

The audience gasped as the two energy balls were fired and collided, giving off a massive explosion that shook the arena. Genma was blown back, but was otherwise unharmed.

"What is this?" Sasuke gasped. "How did Naruto..."

_"Kyuubi?" _

_**"That, brat, is the Tailed Beast Ball! Be thankful you got to witness something like that!"**_Kyuubi said proudly. **"I'll be leaving the rest up to you. Prove you're worthy to be my container, brat!" **

Naruto mentally nodded, and charged towards Gaara. His katanas had been taken away from him, so the only techniques he could use now was his average taijutsu skill, Shadow Clones... and the Summoning Jutsu.

Gaara emerged from the smoke, unharmed. His gigantic hands were back to their original skin and size.

_"Shu-chan! What was that?" _

_**"Be thankful! I saved your life!"** _Shukaku grunted. _**"It seems your opponent is the Jinchuriki of Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox much like you are the Jinchuriki of me, Shukaku."**_

Gaara outwardly gasped, as he stared at Naruto and planned his next move.

_**"That accursed Kurama... to run into him now of all places..."**_Shukaku paused, then spoke again. _**"Grant me access to half your body. If we work together, we can probably defeat them." **_

_"So we're working together now?" _

_**"This is an exception. Don't get cocky, kid. Besides, I expect seven prisoners after this."**_

Gaara's right arm turned into the Shukaku's claw, and a gigantic tail sprung out of his back.

_So he's a Jinchuriki as well, _the same words passed through the mind of every Konoha ninja among the audience.

"Jinchuriki vs Jinchuriki," Hiruzen mused.

"Wind Style: Air Bullet!" Gaara roared in a distorted voice.

An invisible bullet was shot from his mouth, hitting Naruto in the chest. The blonde fell back with a pained grunt.

_What is Gaara doing? _Baki thought, rising to his feet. _He shouldn't be-! _

Gaara transformed further, and now the only human part of him was his two legs sticking out. His upper body half had shape-shifted into that of a mini Shukaku, and the Jinchuriki attacked Naruto with a roar.

"Taijutsu, it is," Naruto said to himself in a grim tone as Gaara descended upon him. He thrust a fist forward, but Gaara slapped him away with his giant tail.

Roaring again, Gaara leaped into the air and landed with a stomp on Naruto.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed.

"Guuhh!"

Coughing out blood, Naruto shut his eyes tight as he felt a few bones in his body cracking from the blow.

"Hot, hot, hot!" Gaara cried out, getting off of Naruto quickly. He then looked down to see his ninja sandals were melting from coming into contact with Naruto's chakra cloak.

"Naruto, get up!" Sasuke yelled. "Come on! You're not finished yet, are you?!"

"No, I'm not..." Naruto said softly to himself, forcing his body up. The pain was unbearable, but the Kyuubi's powers were slowly healing his damaged chest.

Feathers started falling.

Baki smirked.

"It's starting."

* * *

**As the writer of this, I feel a little disappointed with how the chapter turned out to be honest, but I'm glad I've got another chapter done. This chapter also marks the end of the Chunin Exams Arc, and we now move on to the Invasion of Konoha Arc. Until next time! **


	32. Sand & Sound: The Invasion Begins

**I demand every reader to listen to the third Naruto opening before reading this :P **

**Thanks to _Pyr00tje, Anon _and _The True Not Important _for the reviews!**

* * *

Feathers started falling.

Baki smirked.

"It's starting."

He then gasped as a kunai was impaled into his abdomen. It was then withdrawn, and the Sand Jonin collapsed to the ground, clutching his new wound. Baki looked up at his assailant. It was the man who was sitting beside him.

The man smirked, tossing the kunai away before tying a Konoha forehead protector onto his forehead. Baki's eyes widened, realizing the man was a shinobi.

"You're coming with me," he said, grabbing the wounded Baki and dragging him away.

"You..." Baki wheezed. "You knew of our invasion?"

There was no answer.

* * *

The feathers descended on the audience, and the citizens proceeded to fall asleep.

Kakashi, Tenzo and Guy looked at each other and nodded.

"Release!"

Neji looked at the falling feathers. _This... is genjutsu! _

"Release!" The Hyuga prodigy got up, and was dismayed to see Lee had already fallen asleep.

Itachi, Fugaku and Mikoto placed their hands in a seal.

"Release."

* * *

The Kazekage leaped away from his seat, and his two bodyguards split into four Sound ninja. Hiruzen smiled at the sight.

"So, it's began."

"You knew about this invasion, right from the start, didn't you?" The Kazekage chuckled. "Unfortunately, whether you know about it or not, you are going to die today."

Hiruzen stopped smoking his pipe, tossing it to the ground. "We'll see about that, Orochimaru."

"Hehe... Sarutobi-sensei..." Orochimaru tore off his mask and the Kazekage costume, and faced his old teacher. "So... I was right. Kin told you everything."

Beside Hiruzen, his scarred bodyguard jumped down into the arena. Orochimaru watched in amusement.

"Even your bodyguard deserts you, Sarutobi-sensei," the snake-like man laughed. "What a sight." He turned to his four subordinates. "It is time. Do it."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," the four Sound nin said together, jumping onto the roof.

"I'll see you there too, Sarutobi-sensei," Orochimaru hissed, following the four. Hiruzen grunted, and leaped onto the roof as well as the four Sound nin completed their barrier jutsu.

"So you want to fight me alone," Hiruzen tore off his Hokage uniform, revealing his battle suit.

"Yes, that is the plan." Orochimaru smirked.

* * *

"Urghhh!"

Gaara reverted back into his human form, and knelt onto the ground. There was a massive headache coming on - the side effects for using the Shukaku's power.

Naruto stared in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'll see you later... Naruto Uzumaki." Gaara panted, and jumped away, leaving the arena.

"Whuuut?" Naruto turned to Genma, who was giving him a grim smile.

"The Chunin Exams are over. The village is under attack."

Naruto was stumped, but Sasuke and Sakura quickly joined him in the arena.

"An invasion?" Sasuke asked, and Genma nodded.

"Make yourself useful," the examiner said to the three Chunin hopefuls. "Run into the village - there are probably a few hundreds of enemy ninja by now. Take out anyone who isn't from the Leaf."

"Yes, sir!" Team 7 said together, and quickly left.

As they did, the Hokage's scarred bodyguard appeared in the arena.

"Raido," Genma nodded to his comrade, linking hands with him. A circle was formed between the two Special Jonin. "Itachi, Kakashi, Guy, Asuma! We're ready!"

At the call, all four mentioned Jonin jumped down into the arena.

Kakashi jumped into the circle, and disappeared. Next was Itachi, Asuma, then lastly Guy, howling about youth.

"There we go." Raido said, his hands leaving Genma's.

Sound and Sand shinobi piled into the arena.

"Let's hope they're all Chunin-level," Genma said grimly, getting into a fighting stance.

* * *

Orochimaru unsheathed his sword.

"So you've got your funeral shroud prepared... hehe... this should be fun."

Hiruzen simply smiled, as four ninjas appeared beside him.

Itachi, Kakashi, Guy and Asuma got into fighting stances.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in genuine surprise.

"The Yondaime's... Hiraishin...! How?"

_Thank God Minato-sensei passed on the Hiraishin technique to Genma and Raido,_ Kakashi thought with a smile.

"Did you really think we would let this annoying barrier stop our youthfulness?!" Guy roared passionately. "I have always wanted to fight one of the Sannin! Orochimaru-san, prepare yourself for my burning youth!"

Itachi closed his eyes. "Mangekyo... Sharingan!"

"Sharingan..." Kakashi lifted his forehead protector.

Asuma got out his blades. "You will die here today, Orochimaru."

"Is that so?" Orochimaru seemingly recovered from his earlier shock, and now had a smirk plastered on his face.

Hiruzen got out his Adamantine Staff.

"Let's see how much you've grown... Orochimaru."

* * *

Gaara, Kankuro and Temari stood at the gates of the Hidden Leaf.

"Kankuro, are you okay?" Temari asked.

"Y-Yeah... I'll live," Kankuro nodded. "More importantly, since Gaara can't transform now, we have to get him out of Konoha before anyone captures him. That would be disastrous."

"Let's go..." Gaara nodded, and the Sabaku Siblings rushed through the gates.

Neji emerged from his hiding place in the bushes with a frown on his face.

As he did, Team 7 rushed past him. Swiftly, the Hyuga prodigy grabbed Naruto and Sasuke, catching the team's attention.

* * *

Shino, Choji and Shikamaru descended into the arena.

"An invasion... troublesome."

Genma was punched into the wall by a Sound nin.

"Backup?" Raido stared at the three Genin, as he kicked a Sand nin away. "Good, we're outnumbered here. Get to it."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru complained. "... Let's do it."

* * *

**Sorry for the incredibly short chapter, but a new chapter will definitely be up tomorrow. This was to signify the start of the invasion and it was a bit crappy, but I swear the fight scenes will be a lot better. In the next chapter - Orochimaru versus the Jonin of the Leaf, and Team 7 & Neji confronts the Sabakus. Until next time. **


	33. The First and Second: Revived Spirits

**Since last chapter was a little poor, here's a super-fast, super-cool chapter for you guys, or at least I hope it'll turn out super-cool.**

**_TheOrangeStar802_: Thanks for leaving another one of your awesome reviews. And they should be fighting again. Who knows? ;)  
**

**_Pyr00tje_: If Orochimaru didn't know the Edo Tensei then yeah he would be killed :P  
**

**_zarethuzumi_: The original Japanese one, of course. It's beautiful.  
**

**Thanks to _Love8Peace, TheOrangeStar802, Pyr00tje, Guest_ and _zarethuzumi _for the reviews!**

* * *

"Well, since everyone is assembled here..." Orochimaru sighed, launching into a few hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation!"

Two coffins sprung up.

Asuma's eyes widened. "Is that..."

The lids of the coffins opened, to reveal two familiar bodies.

Orochimaru smirked.

* * *

"It appears the Gaara boy you fought was influential to the Sand's plan to attack the village, but he pulled out at the last minute."

Neji, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura jumped through the trees of the forest. Neji's Byakugan was activated.

"So why do you want to capture him again?" Naruto asked.

"He seems at a disadvantage at the moment," Neji explained. "I took a look at his chakra with the Byakugan, and it appears his chakra is at an all-time low. He's at his weakest now, and the only trouble will be fighting his two siblings. If we capture him, or even all three of them in time, we can learn more about the invasion."

"Sounds good," Sasuke nodded.

"They've stopped," Neji declared, deactivating his Byakugan with a smirk.

Naruto nodded. "Let's do this."

* * *

"The Shodaime... and the Nidaime..." Guy breathed.

"So you mastered... that jutsu..." Hiruzen frowned.

"Monkey, is that you?" The Shodaime spoke first. "My, age has caught up to you."

"More pressing situations are at hand, brother," Tobirama said in a serious tone. "It appears we have been resurrected... Is this the Reanimation...?"

"Yes," Orochimaru grinned madly. He placed seals on the backs of the brothers. "Annihilate the Konoha ninja."

"Even in the future, there is war and fighting..." Hashirama sighed, as he started to black out. His eyes lost their pupils, and the founder of the Leaf faced his newly-acquired opponents.

"Alright, listen up." Kakashi said to his fellow Jonin. "Guy and I will take the Nidaime. Itachi and Asuma, handle the Shodaime. Go!"

Itachi nodded. "Very well." He unsheathed a katana, and leaped towards Hashirama.

The First frowned, dodging a series of slashes and thrusts. He raised his arm.

"Wood Style: Giant Forest Jutsu!" The arm turned into wood, and it extended towards Itachi to push him away. The Sharingan wielder jumped into the air to avoid it, and Asuma crashed into the battle, racing on the wood arm before jumping into the air and giving the Shodaime a kick to the face.

"So this is the secret Wood Style jutsu developed by the First..." Asuma remarked, chakra blades in hand. "I'm glad I got to witness it."

Itachi stared at the former Hokage as he got up. The Wood Style user looked him in the eye.

"Tsukuyomi."

* * *

Meanwhile, Guy was charging towards Tobirama, and launched a fist at the Second.

Tobirama ducked. "Water Style: Liquid Bullet." He opened his mouth, and shot a blast of water at Guy, sending him toppling back. Kakashi helped Guy to his feet, and the two rivals attacked.

Kakashi's Sharingan began spinning. "Water Style: Liquid Bullet."

Tobirama's eyes narrowed. "Water Style: Liquid Bullet."

Both water bullets collided and exploded into temporary rainfall.

However, Tobirama had no time to recover, with Guy reappearing in front of him. Tobirama backed away, but Guy had already given him a strong punch to the face.

"Urgh!" Tobirama crashed onto the ground. As Guy charged at him, the Nidaime got up quickly. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Guy was blown back by the attack, with a water dragon slamming itself into his gut.

"To be able to use Water Style techniques in a battlefield without water..." Kakashi muttered. "The Nidaime, indeed."

"This Hokage burns with youthfulness!" Guy remarked, getting up. He jumped into the air, landing a kick on Tobirama's chest to knock him back.

Seeing an opening, Kakashi quickly formed hand seals. Lightning chakra appeared in his hand.

"Chidori!"

Kakashi slammed his hand through Tobirama's abdomen.

"Apologies... Nidaime-sama."

Guy straightened himself, as Tobirama collapsed in a pile of dust. Kakashi nodded, satisfied and ready to join Itachi and Asuma to fight the Shodaime. However, the remains of the reincarnated Tobirama joined together again.

Kakashi frowned as the form of Tobirama reappeared once more.

* * *

Hiruzen glanced back and forth at his village's shinobi attempting to subdue the two Kages.

"You don't have time to be dawdling, old man!"

Hiruzen turned, swinging his staff to counter Orochimaru's blade.

Orochimaru smirked, licking his lips.

The staff transformed into a giant monkey.

"I need your help, old friend." Hiruzen informed his personal summon, smiling at the monkey king.

"Bah. Orochimaru." Enma glared at the Sannin. "You should have killed him when you had the chance."

"That's what I'm going to do now," the old Hokage replied. "Let's go."

Orochimaru swung his sword, grinning. He then raised his arm. "Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes!"

Snakes were launched towards the Sandaime. Hiruzen nodded towards Enma.

"Adamantine Nyoi Prison!" Enma reverted back into his staff form, and cloned himself. The multiple staffs acted as a shield from the snakes. As the creatures returned to Orochimaru, Enma shifted back to his monkey form and Hiruzen charged forward.

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Summoning Jutsu..." Orochimaru slammed his palm onto the ground, and two giant snakes appeared to defend the Snake Sannin from the shuriken barrage.

Hiruzen glared at his former pupil in disgust as the snakes collapsed, dead.

"I will kill you today!" He declared.

"Ah..." Orochimaru licked his lips again. "... but the question is, can you?"

In an instant, the snake-like man was behind Hiruzen. Unfazed, the Hokage ducked as Orochimaru's blade swung over him. Enma leaped onto Orochimaru with a roar, knocking him back with a mighty punch.

Twisting his body in mid-air, Orochimaru landed on his feet. "That was a harsh punch, Enma."

"I'll be giving you harder blows soon!" Enma growled, and attacked Orochimaru once more.

Hiruzen watched on as Enma engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Orochimaru, and turned to watch his former teachers. Even after death, Hashirama and Tobirama were still as skilled as before.

_Do I have to use the Reaper Death Seal?_ Hiruzen thought. _Well... it's time for the village to choose a Fifth anyway. _

* * *

"Did you get him?"

Itachi frowned. "No. He's unaffected."

"Maybe your genjutsu won't work on the dead." Asuma charged up towards the passive-looking Hashirama, and flung one of his chakra blades towards the Wood Style user.

Hashirama made no attempt to dodge the weapon, simply holding up his hand. The blade stabbed into the palm of the First, but the long-haired man seemed unaffected, only wincing, before simply pulling it out and dropping it.

Asuma, getting close enough, swung his remaining blade at the Senju man. Hashirama ducked, and tackled Asuma to the ground.

Itachi's eyes widened in alarm as Hashirama's right hand turned into a sharp sword of wood. He quickly jumped into the fray, knocking the Shodaime off his colleague. Asuma smiled and nodded in thanks.

"Amaterasu!"

Itachi's right eye fired black flames towards Hashirama.

"Even the Shodaime-sama won't be able to withstand something like that..." Asuma remarked, wiping off the sweat forming on his cheek.

The black flames burned around the body of the First Hokage, and Itachi stepped back, satisfied with his work as Hashirama collapsed and turned into dust.

Suddenly, the dust came together and reformed as Hashirama once more.

Asuma's jaw hung open, while Itachi placed a palm over his bleeding eye.

"Secret Wood Style Jutsu: Deep Forest Creation!" Hashirama roared. Instantly, trees sprung up around Itachi and Asuma and wrapped around them, trapping them both.

"Damnit!" Asuma cursed. He couldn't even struggle. The strength of the trees were tremendous.

"Wood Style: Wood Clone Jutsu."

A Wood Clone appeared beside Hashirama. The original descended upon Itachi, while the clone attacked Asuma. Both Hashiramas' right arms turned into a blade of wood.

Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan began to turn.

Asuma found the trees around him and Itachi had disappeared, and when the smoker looked up, he was amazed to see the Shodaime wrapped tightly in his own trees.

"The ability of the Sharingan has never ceased to amaze me," Hashirama remarked, as he deactivated his own jutsu to release himself. He raised his hand, and countless wooden spikes poked out of his palm. "Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs Jutsu."

Itachi got out his katana, while Asuma dug into his pocket to withdraw his last chakra blade. Every spike that came close were brushed away as the two Leaf Jonin fought off the small blades.

"You are all very strong," said Hashirama. "It is reassuring to know that Konoha still continues to produce fine shinobi."

"You flatter me, Shodaime-sama." Itachi replied, sheathing his katana.

"Wood Style: Tree Bind Eternal Burial!"

Itachi found himself caught within a tree. He struggled, but his body was completely paralyzed. Only his head stuck out of the tree.

"Itachi-san!" Asuma yelled.

"I'm sorry," Hashirama said sadly. "But you're going to die." He did a hand seal, and the tree surrounding Itachi was forcefully minimized, crushing the Uchiha's body.

Asuma backed away in horror.

A moment later, the head of Hashirama was detached. His limp body collapsed, and both the head and body turned to dust.

"Itachi-san," Asuma said in surprise. _He used the Substitution Jutsu just in time..._

Keeping his bloodied katana, Itachi smiled at Asuma and nodded. Then he turned, and frowned as the dust came together again. Hashirama stood there, looking finer than a feather.

"It appears that those summoned back to the living world through Reanimation are unable to die," Itachi said calmly.

Hashirama nodded grimly. "Yes, unfortunately. You will have to force the user of this to do the required hand seals to cancel the technique." His hands flew into a hand seal against his will. "Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs Jutsu!"

More wooden spikes appeared on Hashirama's palm.

"Damn, that attack again." Asuma got his chakra blade.

"I've got an idea," Hashirama said quickly, as he felt his palm starting to move. With all his might, he resisted the control, and found that it worked, with his arm staying still. "You," he nodded towards Asuma. "Keep me busy."

Asuma looked stunned, but nodded.

"And the Uchiha," the First looked towards Itachi. "Go for the user of this technique. When you see an opening, use a genjutsu to make him use the following hand seals. Rat. Ox. Monkey. Tiger. Dragon. Boar..."

The Wood Style user's palm shot up, and fired his wood spikes.

Itachi fought off the missiles with his katana. "Anything else?"

"He needs to shout 'release' after he does the hand seals. That'll release the jutsu."

"I've got it." Itachi fought off the last of the wood spikes. "I'll leave this up to you, Asuma-san."

Asuma nodded, and charged towards Hashirama.

* * *

"Those summoned by the Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation cannot be killed." Tobirama spoke, as he felt his body move towards Kakashi.

"I knew it..." Kakashi sighed, whipping out a kunai and infusing it with Lightning Style chakra. He swung the short blade at Tobirama, who backed away and launched a kick into the masked ninja's face.

Kakashi grabbed Tobirama's leg and knocked the Nidaime back with a punch, before flinging his kunai. It piered through the body of Tobirama.

Tobirama grunted in pain, and pulled out the kunai.

"You, who has the Sharingan..." Tobirama tossed the kunai away. "You don't seem to be an Uchiha."

"No," admitted Kakashi, not exactly wanting to go into details.

"Water Style: Explosive Bite of the Water Dragon!"

A whirlpool of water appeared around Tobirama's palm.

"What youthful technique is this?" Guy questioned.

From the whirlpool, water bullets were fired.

"Guy, watch out!" Kakashi called. His self-proclaimed youthful rival attempted to counter the water bullets with his fists, but only ended up getting knocked back with bloodied hands.

The whirlpool then transformed into a water dragon that lunged itself towards Kakashi.

Thinking quickly, the Copy Ninja performed a few hand seals.

Lightning chakra appeared in his hand once more, but this time, the chakra was more concentrated and looked deadlier.

"Raikiri!"

Kakashi slammed his hand into the water dragon, and there was a burst of light. Guy watched in awe as the water dragon was absorbed into Kakashi's Lightning chakra.

Tobirama had a look of interest on his face as the massive amount of chakra in Kakashi's hand now took the form of a real lightning sword.

"The Raikiri, indeed," the Water Style user commented.

Kakashi sped past the Nidaime.

Guy shook his head in disbelief. "My eternally youthful rival missed!"

Stopping in his tracks, Kakashi swept his hand backwards, and the lightning blade slammed into Tobirama's back.

Tobirama shrieked in pain.

"I-Incredible... You used my Water Style technique to power up your Lightning Style one and utilized it so greatly..."

The blade of chakra disappeared, only leaving a massive hole in Tobirama's back. He collapsed, disappearing into dust. As Kakashi expected, the dust reformed back into the form of Tobirama.

"Rat. Ox. Monkey. Tiger. Dragon. Boar, and then shouting 'release'..." Tobirama said grimly. "... if the user of this Reanimation technique does this, it'll cancel out the jutsu. I think if you manage to use your Sharingan to manipulate him, it'll be a piece of cake."

"I will keep our youthful Nidaime occupied with my Flames of Youth!" Guy declared. "Kakashi, you go on ahead with Orochimaru!"

Kakashi nodded. "Thanks, Guy." He edged away from the battle.

"Now, Nidaime-sama, we fight! Let our Flames of Youth burn!" Guy positioned himself into the stance of the Strong Fist.

Tobirama raised an eyebrow at this particular shinobi, as he too got into a fighting stance against his will.

* * *

Kankuro leaned against the tree. Gaara and Temari were both beside him.

"I'm sorry for putting you two through all this trouble," the youngest of the Sabaku sighed. "If I hadn't got carried away in my battle with Naruto Uzumaki..."

"It's what siblings are for, Gaara," Temari smiled, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Gaara grinned, and turned to Kankuro. "Kankuro, how are you feeling?"

"Better, since we've taken a rest," the puppeteer lied. He wasn't feeling too good. Having a Chidori slam into your body didn't exactly make you feel too well. "Let's go on."

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

Gaara gasped as he felt himself being pulled into the ground.

Temari and Kankuro were instantly on the alert.

A few shuriken shot towards Temari, and she brushed them away with her fan.

Sakura burst into sight from underground. Neji made his appearance known, standing on a tree branch with his arms folded and staring down at the Sabaku Siblings. Naruto and Sasuke walked out from the bushes.

A single word passed through Temari's mind.

_Shit... _

* * *

**And that's it for today. Hopefully everyone liked the chapter and no one was bothered by the constant scene changes. In the next chapter - Itachi and Kakashi must team up to stop Orochimaru's technique. Meanwhile, Neji & Team 7 engage the Sabaku Siblings in battle. Until next time! **


	34. Orochimaru, Defeated: Amaterasu!

**Welcome to the 34th chapter of _Team Itachi _:) **

**_Ivyfeather319_: Indeed!**

_**Rappy Yo Yo**_**: I see you got the reference ;)**

_**Swordianspeed**_**: I'm sorry, because I don't get your question :/ **

**Thanks to _Charrmed, Ivyfeather319, Rappy Yo Yo, Love8Peace, The True Not Important, TheOrangeStar802, Pyr00tje _and _Swordianspeed _for the reviews!**

* * *

"Temari... what should we do?" Gaara whispered. His arms grew into those of Shukaku's, and with them, he smashed his way out of the ground. Then, he collapsed, exhausted.

"Gaara! Stop using the-"

Kankuro cut his sister off. "Temari... I'll hold these guys off. You take Gaara and keep going."

"But, Kankuro-"

"Go!" Kankuro laid three scrolls down onto the ground.

Reluctantly, Temari took Gaara and fled.

"Oi! Lady! Come back here!" Naruto charged after Temari, but from one of the scrolls came one of Kankuro's puppets.

The puppet revealed it's barrel-like stomach, which opened. Naruto tumbled right into the barrel, and with that, it closed.

"Naruto!"

"Meet my puppet - Black Ant," Kankuro smirked. "This will bring the numbers down to three versus one." He summoned Crow.

"You are still going to lose," Neji remarked, his Byakugan now activated.

"No," Kankuro chuckled. "Because this time I will be going with the intent to kill."

* * *

Itachi and Kakashi appeared beside Hiruzen. The two Jonin explained the plan to the Sandaime.

"It could work," Hiruzen agreed.

Orochimaru took out his Sword of Kusanagi.

"So you've come to witness your own funerals... Itachi, Kakashi," Orochimaru chuckled. His sword lengthened towards Kakashi, who dived away to dodge the extending blade.

"Do not kill him," Itachi warned. "We will need him to cancel the Reanimation technique."

"Understood." Kakashi bit his finger to draw blood. "Earth Style: Fang Pursuit Jutsu!"

The masked ninja's Ninken appeared in a puff of smoke. All of the eight hounds attacked Orochimaru, biting and tearing away at the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru growled, using his sword to fight Kakashi's summonings off.

As the last of the dogs disappeared, Itachi appeared behind Orochimaru with his katana.

Orochimaru was quick to react, turning to counter Itachi's strike with his sword.

Hiruzen jumped into the air, raising his staff.

Kakashi charged forward with a chakra-infused kunai.

"You can't dodge three attacks at once. Give up." Itachi spoke.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Orochimaru's technique blew Hiruzen and Itachi away with a strong gust of wind.

"Striking Shadow Snakes!"

Kakashi was knocked back as the snakes from Orochimaru's sleeve tackled him away. One opened it's mouth and aimed for his wrist, but Kakashi cut it's head off with his kunai.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb!" Hiruzen cried. An earth dragon appeared, firing mud bombs at Orochimaru.

"Tsk," Orochimaru grunted, cutting off the attacks with his sword.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Caterwaul," Itachi placed his hands in the Tiger seal. Multiple flames shot from his mouth and took the shape of five dragons. Orochimaru jumped away from the blast, but one of the dragons got to him.

"Graaaaa!"

Orochimaru fell, and noticed his arms were now full of burn marks.

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu." Kakashi sent a gigantic tornado of water spinning towards Orochimaru.

The snake-like man avoided the attack, reappearing in front of Kakashi and thrusting his sword forward.

Having no time to dodge, Kakashi grabbed the sword and pushed it away, but the blade lengthened and stabbed him in the arm.

Swiftly, Kakashi used his other arm to grab a kunai, infusing it with Lightning chakra in two seconds, and then slamming the weapon into Orochimaru's arm as well. With a shriek of pain, he dropped his sword.

Itachi placed his hands into the Shadow Clone hand seal, and a clone of himself leaped onto Orochimaru's back.

"Shadow Clone Explosion!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened.

A brief moment later, the clone exploded.

* * *

Kankuro flexed his fingers, and Crow came forward to attack Sasuke, who was standing at the front of the group.

"Sharingan!" He activated his dojutsu, and jumped into the air just as a blade extended out of Crow to strike him. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" He blew a fireball towards Kankuro.

"Salamander!" Kankuro called.

His defensive puppet appeared, shielding Kankuro from the blast.

"Damnit," Sasuke cursed, landing on the ground again. Crow attacked, and Neji jumped into the fray, dismantling Crow easily with a couple of Gentle Fist strikes.

"Got you," Neji said, as he disconnected Crow's head from it's body with a strike.

"Is that so?" Kankuro wiggled his fingers.

The body parts of Crow, all strewn onto the ground, floated back into the air, now with a blade attached to them. The head had a blade on it's chin, while the arms had blades on it's elbows.

Neji frowned, as the blades flew towards him.

"Rotation!"

The body parts of Crow were flung around. Kankuro grunted in annoyance, and the Hyuga prodigy stopped his technique with a smirk on his face.

Suddenly, he felt pain shooting through his back. Neji's Byakugan eyes widened.

"I didn't throw all of them at you at once..." Kankuro chuckled, as Neji collapsed, revealing the blade on the head of Crow stabbed right into his back. Sakura gasped, and Sasuke glared at their opponent.

"You bastard."

Ignoring the insult, Kankuro shot the Konoha ninja a thumbs-down. "One down."

Sasuke charged forward, but couldn't get to the puppeteer with Salamander shielding it's owner. The body parts of Crow came together once more, and shot several poison senbon at the Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun, watch out!"

Getting out a kunai, Sasuke knocked the senbon away.

Crow charged towards Sasuke, it's scythe protruding out again.

With two kunai, Sasuke countered the slashes of the scythe, and managed to kick Crow away.

Sakura decided to join in, encasing her right fist with stone and punching Crow to create a massive hole in the puppet's chest. Undeterred, Crow's scythe shot out again to slash the pink-haired Genin.

With another giant punch, Sakura's fist connected with the scythe, bending the blade and rendering it useless.

Kankuro growled, as his puppet's primary weapon was demolished.

His attention returned to Sasuke, as the Uchiha boy shattered the rock-hard shield of Salamander with a Chidori.

"How did you...?" Kankuro frowned. "Your Chidori attack shouldn't be enough to..."

"These eyes," Sasuke smiled triumphantly, pointing to his Sharingan. "They located your puppet's weak spot."

"Damn." Kankuro jerked his arm back. "Crow! Get back!"

Sakura did a hand seal. "Earth Style: Landslide!"

A pile of dirt rose from the ground, flying into the air before descending onto Crow and burying the offensive puppet under.

"Damn you Konoha ninja..." Kankuro cursed, backing away. He waved his arm forward, and Black Ant released Naruto.

"About time!" The blonde complained. Black Ant then shot towards Sasuke and Sakura. Two scythes protruded from it's torso. Sasuke dived out of the way, while Sakura used her Stone Fist to puncture both scythes.

Black Ant then raised it's arms, launching poison senbon from it.

"Watch out!" Sasuke called, and all three Genin of Team 7 leaped out of the way.

"Sword Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled. "It's payback time!"

Kankuro looked up, dismayed to see the rain of katanas about to fall on him. With the puppeteer distracted, Sasuke managed to slash off the chakra strings connecting his fingers to his puppets with a kunai. Black Ant fell onto the ground lifelessly.

The rain of katanas fell.

* * *

Orochimaru was thrown forward.

"Are you ready to give up yet?" Hiruzen asked wearily.

A body forced his way out of Orochimaru's mouth.

"No." The newly-shedded Orochimaru hissed.

Hiruzen stepped back. "Are you... are you even human...?!"

"I'm stronger than a human being! A God!" Orochimaru cackled. "You won't defeat me!"

"Kakashi-san," Itachi nodded to his comrade. "Can you land a Raikiri on him without killing him?"

"Hard to say," Kakashi replied, thinking. "But a lowly-powered Chidori will serve to injure instead of kill." He charged up said Chidori, knowing what his fellow Jonin's answer was going to be.

Itachi smiled, nodding.

"The Chidori, huh..." Orochimaru smirked. "I just have to avoid it." He started to move, but found he couldn't. "What?" The long-tongued man hissed in anger, as Kakashi charged towards him.

"Paralysis Genjutsu," Itachi said with a hint of a smile on his face.

_What? He cast a genjutsu so easily? _Orochimaru growled. _Itachi Uchiha, indeed... _

"Chidori!"

Kakashi slammed his hand into Orochimaru's body.

The snake man roared in pain, coughing out blood from his mouth that landed in Kakashi's gravity-defying hair. The masked ninja groaned in disgust, but concentrated on his technique.

"Itachi, now!"

Orochimaru's eyes were shut tight, as he groaned in pain. When the snake-summoning Sannin opened his eyes again, he was looking into a pair of red shuriken-like pupils.

A second later, he found himself in a purple void.

_Damn it... I looked into his eyes... _Orochimaru looked around.

"You must now do everything I say." The voice of Itachi spoke. Orochimaru turned, to see two deadly-looking Mangekyo Sharingan eyes glaring at him. The powerful man felt fear grip him - something he'd failed to experience for years. The eyes seemed to be piercing right into his soul.

"Rat." Orochimaru blinked, and he felt his arms moving against his will to form the Rat seal.

"Ox."

"Monkey."

"Tiger."

"Dragon." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed by this point. _He's trying to make me release the Reanimation technique! _

"Boar."

Orochimaru placed his hands in the Boar seal.

"You are free to leave." The Mangekyo Sharingan eyes disappeared. Orochimaru frowned, and realized the void was starting to blur. Recognizing this as the genjutsu weakening, he quickly decided to seize the opportunity to escape.

"Release!"

* * *

Asuma panted, as the dust reformed as the Shodaime for what seemed to be the millionth time.

The former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja got into a fighting stance once more and charged forward. Hashirama dodged and grabbed Asuma with his right hand. His left arm changed into a wooden blade once more.

Struggling, Asuma managed to kick Hashirama away.

Suddenly, the Wood Style user's body disappeared into dust. What appeared to be Hashirama's soul floated into the air.

"I will always be watching Konoha from the heavens," he spoke. "Farewell."

Asuma watched the mesmerizing sight, and bowed. "Farewell... Shodaime-sama."

* * *

"Gate of Closing, open!" Guy roared. He sped towards the Nidaime and broke into a series of violent kicks.

Tobirama blocked each one with his fists. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" He called, after jumping a distance away. Guy disappeared as the water dragon smashed into the position he was in before.

Reappearing behind the Nidaime, Guy's foot slammed into Tobirama's cheek.

"Howl! Youth!" Guy leaped into the air and did a somersault, and landed with his foot on Tobirama's head, knocking him down.

The red-eyed man got up, and found his body was starting to disappear. Guy stared as the soul of Tobirama dispersed into the air.

"It looks like my time is up." He said, as he began to fade. "Hopefully Konoha will continue to produce fine shinobi like you."

Deactivating his Eight Gates, Guy saluted the fading soul.

* * *

"Damn it, you..." Orochimaru found his senses returning to him as he was released from the genjutsu. "You tricked me...!"

"That was always the plan from the start," Itachi remarked coldly. "Now, since the Reanimation has been released, I suppose we can kill you now." He placed his hands into the Tiger seal.

"Amaterasu!"

Black flames were fired from Itachi's right eye, blazing towards Orochimaru.

"Nooo!" The pale man screamed. "Noooooo! Arghhhhh!" The flames began working their magic as Orochimaru fell to the ground and thrashed about. Itachi covered his right eye, feeling it aching. Swiftly, he deactivated his dojutsu.

The burnt body of Orochimaru lied on the ground.

Asuma and Guy rushed up, as Hiruzen stepped forward.

"Is he dead?" Enma questioned.

The question was answered, as Orochimaru leaped to his feet. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" The gust of wind blew Hiruzen and the team of Jonin away. Stumbling backward, he smirked.

"I am defeated..." He admitted. "But you have not killed me... not yet."

"Is he fucking immortal?" Asuma swore.

"Yes! That's what I am! Immortal!" Orochimaru threw his head back and laughed. "It's time to go!" He called to his four subordinates. They all nodded, and the barrier around them was released.

The visibly severely-injured Orochimaru was carried by one of the four Sound nin. The five shinobi then leaped off the roof, fleeing the scene.

"Dad?" Asuma turned to his father.

Hiruzen sighed.

"Let them go. We have other priorities. I want all four of you to get out there now and protect the village."

* * *

Kankuro lay on the ground, his body impaled by four katanas. Miraculously, the Suna nin was still alive, but barely. He coughed out some blood, and felt himself blacking out.

_No! You have to stay alive! _Kankuro told himself.

Sakura felt a little sick staring at the bloodied form of the hooded Genin, and as a result, decided to look away.

Naruto did a hand seal, and the katanas disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Is he... is he alive? Did I kill someone?"

"He's alive," Sasuke confirmed, his Sharingan deactivated.

"Wait... Neji!" Naruto ran over to his preliminary opponent. "Neji! Are you okay?"

Neji was unconscious, but the violent shaking soon caused him to slowly open his white eyes. As he regained consciousness, the first feeling he registered was pain at the spot where he'd been stabbed.

Sakura dug a hand into her ninja tool bag, and took out bandages. Lifting Neji's shirt up, she quickly wrapped them around his wound.

"Good job, Sakura," Sasuke smiled. "Neji... can you hear me?"

Neji looked up, and weakly nodded. "I... I think I can continue."

Sakura shook her head. "Rest."

Neji glared at his fellow Genin in protest.

"She's right, you know. You won't be able to help with a wound like that, anyway." He said bluntly. Neji frowned at what he deemed an insult, but after thinking for a bit, figured out the raven-haired boy was right.

"Rest here, and when you feel better, catch up with us." Naruto suggested.

Neji nodded slowly.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Sakura frowned.

Scowling, Neji closed his eyes.

"Alright, Sakura," Sasuke hauled the bloodied body of Kankuro up. "You take this guy back to the Leaf. Naruto and I will continue on. Can you do that?"

Sakura stared at the blood from Kankuro's wounds reluctantly, but nodded and took him off of Sasuke's hands. "Good luck... Naruto... Sasuke-kun." She smiled at her teammates, and departed.

"Now that's over with..." Naruto pointed forward. "Let's go."

* * *

**Orochimaru totally got his ass handed to him on a plate, didn't he? In the next chapter, the remainder of Team 7 fights against the remainder of the Sabaku Siblings! Until next time. **


	35. The Chase Concludes: Naruto vs Gaara!

**So Chapter 34 was supposed to be uploaded on the same day as Chapter 33, but FanFiction messed up and you couldn't view Chapter 34 until 20 hours later. Hopefully it isn't the same for this chapter. **

**To all the Chinese readers, if any: Happy Chinese New Year! :) **

**_Fernlight_: And I like you, random citizen!  
**

_**TheOrangeStar802**_**: It isn't really that big of a deal - it's only because I'm writing this story. :P **

_**Charrmed**_**: They do :) **

_**The True Not Important**_**: Orochimaru IS invincible ;) what would happen to the Sasuke Retrieval Arc if he died there? :P**

_**Awais**_**: Make Sasuke stronger? All I have to say is... wait for the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. ;) **

**Thanks to _Fernlight, Deadly In Pink, TheOrangeStar802, Charrmed, The True Not Important_ and _Awais_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"I see them!"

"Naruto, don't be so loud!"

It was too late. Temari and Gaara both noticed the two Konoha ninjas' presence.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Sasuke's jutsu blasted towards the two Suna nin, destroying every tree it touched.

Gaara and Temari leaped away from the flames.

_They're here... so does that mean Kankuro has...! _

"Gaara," Temari said quickly. "You go on ahead. I'll handle these two."

"B-But, Temari-"

"No buts," she hissed, bringing her voice low to a whisper. "If Konoha gets a hold of you..."

Gaara grabbed and pulled the front of his shirt in frustration, but relented. "Be careful." He jumped from the branch he was standing on towards the ground. Sasuke frowned at this.

The Uchiha closed his eyes. When he opened them, black marks had invaded the left side of his face.

_That's what he looked like when he fought Kankuro in the Exams..._ Temari's grip on her fan tightened.

"Naruto," Sasuke turned to his teammate. "Chase after that guy, and put an end to the match you couldn't finish."

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a clueless look, and only figured out what his raven-haired friend was talking about after a few seconds. Nodding, he descended from the trees as well.

Temari grunted, and turned her attention towards Naruto. Unfortunately, she was then kicked in the face and sent flying into a tree.

Sasuke jabbed a thumb into his chest. "I'm your opponent," he glared at the fan wielder, his Sharingan eyes blazing.

* * *

Gaara felt his Sand Shield rising up. He turned, to see Naruto's fist sinking into his sand.

Thrusting his arm forward, Gaara morphed the shield into a blade. Before Naruto could react, the sand-made weapon was driven into his chest, puncturing his heart.

"S-Sorry," Gaara muttered.

However, 'Naruto' vanished in a puff of smoke.

Gaara's eyes widened, and he turned to see Naruto charging at him with his katana. Looking up, the Jinchuriki also noticed two more Narutos in the air, their katanas raised.

"Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

His Sand Shield appearing once again to protect him, Gaara stepped back as the Naruto on his left managed to bypass the shield. Thrusting his sword forward, Naruto aimed for his abdomen, but Gaara blocked the attack with his hand.

"Arrrgh!"

The blade sank into his hand, drawing blood. The Naruto and his katana dispersed.

Gaara clutched onto his new wound, groaning. Using Shukaku's powers always drew so much chakra from him. He didn't even have enough to use his Sand Armor technique.

"Looks like I can finally test my new jutsu," Naruto spoke. Gaara turned to see his opponent behind him, and immediately went on the alert. "Ninja Art Summoning: Bring Down the House!"

Gaara blinked.

The next moment, a small toad landed on his head and disappeared.

He blinked again.

"Dammit! I failed! I failed!" Naruto yelled.

"Spear of Shukaku!" Gaara raised his hand, and a long spear of sand appeared. He charged towards Naruto, spear raised.

Drawing his katana, Naruto jumped forward to combat his Suna counterpart.

Gaara swiped low, but Naruto dodged it with a jump and kicked Gaara in the eyes skillfully, before infusing his blade with Wind chakra. As Gaara thrust his spear forward, Naruto dived to the side and slashed through the spear, severing it in half.

"If I channel my chakra into this," Naruto showed off his glowing katana. "You'll never be able to use your sand!"

Grunting, Gaara raised his hand. "Sand Shower."

Naruto slashed his way through the lumps thrown at him, and eventually reached Gaara. With an almighty yell, Naruto swung his weapon, expertly cutting Gaara's shirt in half.

Suddenly, 'Gaara' turned into sand and grabbed his wrist.

"Take this."

Naruto screamed in pain as the sand compressed and crushed his wrist before it dissolved. With use of his right hand cut off, he dropped his katana.

As Naruto bent down to pick his weapon up, a wave of sand that flew into his eyes temporarily blinded him. He felt somebody picking up his weapon and holding it at his neck.

"It's over!"

Naruto kicked out, finally relieved of his blindness.

Gaara was knocked back with a painful grunt, dropping his opponent's sword. However, as Naruto tried to pick it up again, Gaara raised his right arm and the dissolved sand sprung up again to trip Naruto over.

The blonde was sent falling to the ground, and Gaara picked up the katana, tossing it up and suspending it in mid-air with his sand.

_Dammit... my right hand..._ Naruto got up, and at the same time, inspected his bloodied right wrist. He tried to do a hand seal, but found that he couldn't, not with his injured hand.

"You are not in my league, Naruto Uzumaki," Gaara panted.

"O-oh yeah?" Naruto charged. "I just have to beat you with one hand then, you creepy sand bastard!" He launched himself towards Gaara, who side-stepped to avoid the punch. "Who do you Suna bastards think you are, huh? Coming into our village and trying to invade and all that!" He kicked out, but Gaara's sand pushed him back.

"We had no choice," replied Gaara.

Naruto reappeared behind him, his fist three centimeters away from the back of Gaara's head. The redhead's sand pulled Naruto's arm back just in time. Growling, Naruto tried a kick, but Gaara leaped away.

"Our village did this for good reason," he continued to insist, dodging a couple of left-handed punches.

"A good reason to harm the innocents in our village! Piss off! War is never the answer!" Naruto answered fiercely.

Gaara looked away in remorse, his Sand Shield rising up to defend against Naruto's further punches. "I-I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen to me, and..."

Naruto stopped his attack, frowning.

"... and they said I was speaking out of place, because 'after all, you are just the demon'." He said bitterly.

Naruto softened. "Hey... you host the One-Tail... right?"

Gaara nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. "And you host the Nine-Tails."

The blonde one of the two stepped back. "What is this 'good reason' you speak of?"

Gaara sighed, but before he could speak, collapsed.

"H-Hey!"

Naruto ran over to the boy he'd been fighting just minutes ago, helping him up.

"I think... my chakra's... all depleted..." He panted.

_**"You idiot! I warned you before not to use my powers too much!" **_

_"Heh, are you worried, Shu-chan?"_

**_"O-Of course not, you little brat! How can I have my own container with near zero chakra all the time?" _ **

Naruto helped his opponent to a tree.

"Well, you seem out of chakra now, so if this 'reason' of yours ain't good I'm going to take you back to Konoha!" Naruto warned, hoping he sounded intimidating.

Panting, Gaara spoke.

"Suna suffered a series of budget cuts from the Wind Daimyo... it weakened the village and re-routed missions frequently to Konoha. That missing-nin called Orochimaru... he came to my father, the Kazekage, with a proposal to invade Konoha. We would get resources, while Orochimaru would get what he want - the death of the Hokage..."

"Orochimaru?! Old man Hokage? No way!" Naruto yelled. "I have to get back to Konoha immediately!"

"I have to collect my siblings," Gaara grunted.

Naruto nodded with a grin. "Let's go."

* * *

**A terrible, terrible chapter, and something I didn't put much effort in. But I've not written much for the past two days because of the festive period (Chinese New Year, yes, I'm Chinese). The Invasion of Konoha arc isn't one of my favorites at all. Anyway, I think that concludes it for the Invasion of Konoha arc, just one more chapter to write I think (yes, it's that fast!). In the next chapter, the invasion concludes! Until next time! **


	36. The Akatsuki: Infiltration of the Artist

**Back for another chapter. Yay. **

**The Sasuke Retrieval Arc will come before the Search for Tsunade Arc. Just wanted to let everyone know. I feel it's only logical to pull the Sasuke Retrieval forward first. Secondly, it's one of my favorite arcs so hopefully I can actually write it like how I wrote the Chunin Exams Arc. **

**This chapter marks the start of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. Yes, the Invasion of Konoha Arc was only 4 chapters! Lmao. Also, in this chapter, we welcome the debut of the Akatsuki. **

**If you're unhappy with anything in my story, please do not hesitate to point them out to me like the below reviewer, _Sorry_, did. I would hate to lose more readers because they failed to point out the flaws I didn't correct. **

_**Sorry**_**: I am sorry I could not keep a reader, and I thank you for pointing out all my flaws. However, just one thing I have to argue about. I prefer a non-bloodthirsty Gaara, and I wrote him as such. That's why he's not like he is in canon. If you're complaining that Gaara has changed 'because of the Uchiha Massacre' and that 'there's no sense in that', I suggest you head back and read Chapter 29 and 30. Good day. **

**Thanks to _tamu, Pyr00tje, Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan, Charrmed, The True Not Important_ and _Sorry _for the reviews!**

* * *

Two figures traveled their way through the forest.

Both wore black robes with red clouds adorned on them, something that looked like a uniform. They also wore similar straw hats that hid their faces. The only difference passers-by could tell between them, was their ridiculous height difference.

One of the two was of normal height, however, his companion looked shorter than a child.

If one looked closely, he would see a sharp metal tail protruding from the back of the shorter one's back.

The taller of the two looked up, a smirk on his face.

"It looks like we're here... Sasori, my man."

"Deidara... Allow me to remind you this is simply a scouting mission," Sasori hissed. "Do not try anything drastic."

"Tsk. I know... hm."

Deidara and Sasori walked through the forest exit.

"Deidara, why do you always end your sentences with 'hm'?"

Deidara almost died. Sasori was trying to start a conversation! He smirked.

"Just the Iwa accent, hm."

The duo continued on until they reached their destination - the entrance of Konoha. Deidara observed the towering gates, impressed. "These gates are rather artistic, wouldn't you say, Sasori, my man?"

Sasori grunted. "I'll wait here... do your thing."

"Alright... hm."

"Make sure you aren't detected by anyone."

"Sure... hm."

Deidara dug his hand into the tool bag attached to his waist. The mouth on his hand began chewing up the white clay, and spat out a clay bird figurine. Deidara tossed it onto the ground, and it enlarged into a giant bird. Hopping onto his creation, the blonde took flight.

Sasori looked up into the air.

"I forgot to tell him to be quick... I hate waiting."

* * *

"Itachi... you will be sent on an A-Ranked mission."

Itachi seemed surprised at this.

"What of Team 7?"

"They will be doing their own little missions too. The invasion has left us extremely short-staffed. We need every single ninja out there working on missions at least twice a day. Even the academy instructors are going on their C-Ranks."

Itachi frowned, but nodded.

The Sandaime looked out the window.

"We have to pray something big doesn't happen in this period of time... if this goes on I'll be having to sent Genin on S-Ranked missions."

Itachi tensed, thinking of his younger brother. He then nodded, taking the mission scroll on the table, and departed.

The Crow summoner walked through the streets of Konoha, towards the entrance of the village, thinking about the invasion. Orochimaru, defeated, had called Oto's forces back, while Suna retreated after Oto.

A peace treaty had been signed between Suna and Konoha, and Itachi wondered how long that would last.

On instinct, the Uchiha man looked up, and frowned. A gigantic white bird was flying through the village, with a person standing on it.

_This can't be good. _

He ran after the bird, and witnessed it landing on the Hokage Monument.

_Now...! _

Crows covered the body of Itachi, much to the curiosity of the passers-by. As the crows vanished, so did their summoner.

* * *

Deidara made his clay bird disappear, and sat on the head of the First Hokage, looking at the village of Konoha.

"What a piece of art, hm," he nodded to himself. "Now, where should I start..."

Noticing a presence behind him, Deidara instantly sprang up and spun around.

"What are you doing in our village?" Itachi questioned.

"A Konoha nin, hm," Deidara smirked. "I got detected then. That's too bad."

"I'll ask one more time." Itachi's black pupils shifted into red. "What are you doing in our village?"

Deidara was taken aback. _Is that... the Sharingan? _

"Tsk, like I would tell you, hm." Deidara dug into his bag of clay. "Since you saw me, I'll just have to silence you."

Itachi snorted softly. "You can try." He closed his eyes, then opened them again, to reveal they'd changed once more.

_What kind of Sharingan is that? _Deidara frowned.

"You are going to die anyway, so I'll tell you, hm." Deidara withdrew his hand from the tool bag. "We are... the Akatsuki!"

"Akatsuki?" Itachi frowned. He'd never heard of the name.

"Haaaa!" Deidara flung what appeared to be small bird-styled projectiles towards his opponent. "Katsu!"

The bird projectiles exploded in Itachi's face.

With a victorious smirk on his face, the bomber turned around. "You seemed to be an impressive shinobi... I didn't expect you to go down to my first move... hm."

Then, he looked up sharply to see the same man he'd saw earlier, descending upon him with a raised katana. Gritting his teeth, Deidara tried to shield himself, but the sudden attack proved successful, as Itachi managed to severe his left arm.

"Arrrrrgh!"

Itachi attempted to severe his other arm, but Deidara kicked him away.

Deidara glared hatefully at him. "H-How did you..."

"Genjutsu," Itachi tapped his eyes. "You thought I was here, when I was really there." He got into a battle stance. "Don't underestimate the Uchiha."

"Damn you..."

Flinging eight shuriken towards Deidara, Itachi spat fireballs onto all of the throwing stars.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Shuriken Jutsu."

Deidara leaped away just in time, the burning shuriken flying past him.

_I am weakened without my arm... and I don't want to expose my techniques. I've already exposed enough._ Deidara growled. _Now Konoha knows about the Akatsuki. Damn it. My man Sasori and Leader is not going to be happy. _

"Shadow Clone Jutsu." A clone of Deidara appeared in front of him. Summoning his clay bird, Deidara leaped onto his creation, and took off. Itachi was about to go after, but then noticed the Deidara clone consuming the white clay and chewing it.

_When he threw that clay at me... it exploded, then... shit. _

"Self-Destructing Clone!"

The Deidara clone began growing in size.

_Damn, he's going to destroy the Hokage Monument!_ Itachi remained calm, but on the inside he was panicking. Reacting quickly, he did a few hand seals.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!"

From Itachi's mouth came a blast of gushing water, sending the clone flying into the air of Konoha. The impact from the technique caused the clone to disperse, and at the same time, explode in mid-air.

Itachi looked on in relief, before rushing to report to the Hokage.

* * *

Deidara landed beside his partner, panting.

Sasori noticed his missing arm, and sighed in annoyance, understanding the situation.

"Deidara... you moron..."

"Hey, it was just my luck I ran into a strong shinobi, hm."

"We're going to be fighting Jinchuriki... if you can't even handle yourself against a normal ninja..." Sasori growled, as they began walking back into the forest.

"He was from the Uchiha clan, hm," Deidara defended.

"I could have probably killed him in two minutes," the tailed man snorted.

"Whatever you say, my man."

* * *

In his hideout in Oto, Orochimaru sat up, groaning. Even moving was painful.

"Orochimaru-sama, relax," Kabuto said worriedly. "Moving will only bring more pain."

Orochimaru wasn't pleased. "When will I recover?"

Kabuto had a doubtful look on his face. "I have no idea. The wounds of the Amaterasu are near impossible to treat."

"Then I'll just have to recover by taking over a new body," the Snake Sannin smirked.

Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose. "Orochimaru-sama, does that mean..."

"Yes... Summon the Four. It is time."

* * *

**Another incredibly short chapter, but hey, to be fair, the anime episodes are also of this length, but they happen to be one hour because of the camera zooming in on one of the characters' faces and staying there for two minutes whenever the particular character is shocked or taken by surprise. Also, battles are always extended through dramatic and unnecessary talking, so yeah. In the next chapter, the Sasuke Retrieval Arc truly begins. Until next time. **


	37. Target: Sasuke! The Sound Four Moves

**I'm going to have a new Naruto story up soon. I'll have to see when I can get off my lazy ass to complete it - I'm already halfway done with the first chapter. If you're interested, be sure to check it out. **

_**The True Not Important**_**: Glad to know you liked that short battle! **

_**Aurora-chan**_**: Don't apologize, it makes me feel apologetic! Haha! Thanks for leaving a review after solving your Internet issues. I really appreciate it :) **

**_Sorry_: There is absolutely no relation at all. I just wanted to get away from canon a tad bit and decided to put that part in. Glad to see you're still sticking around :) **

**Thanks to _The True Not Important, Charrmed, Aurora-chan, Sorry_ and _tamu _for the reviews!  
**

* * *

Sasuke whistled. The girl beside him stared at him, and when he caught the stare and turned, she looked away.

The two reached the gates of Konoha. Sasuke looked up at his companion.

"Um..." He cleared his throat nervously. "Do you... uh... do you really have to leave?" He studied her reaction. "You know... the Hokage can always... make you a Genin of the L-Leaf. You just have to p-pass a few tests and y-you know..."

He cursed himself. He couldn't believe he was stuttering.

Kin couldn't hide a small smirk at his stuttering.

"No... my decision's already made," she sighed. "I'm going back to my home town in Iwagakure. Your Hokage has already granted me the permission to leave."

"But it's dangerous," Sasuke protested. "What if that creep Orochimaru finds you, and-"

"He has no more use for me," Kin replied darkly. "He simply wanted me as a sacrifice for the Reanimation technique. Now that his invasion has failed, he won't be spending his time looking for me anymore."

"R-Right."

Sasuke berated himself. He was a proud member of the Uchiha clan. An Uchiha doesn't stutter.

"So... I guess you can hand that over to me now." She smiled, gesturing towards her backpack in Sasuke's hands.

"Oh y-yeah. Your b-backpack."

_God damn it! _He mentally shrieked. No stuttering, he reminded himself again.

Sasuke handed the backpack over.

"So, I guess this is goodbye," Kin stepped forward. "Please give my regards and thanks to Mikoto-san."

"Mom? What about Dad?"

Kin grunted. "No thanks to him, he was a bit of a prick."

Sasuke chuckled.

The former Oto kunoichi turned to face him with a serious look.

"Well... anything else?"

Sasuke frowned as he felt himself blushing heavily at the thought of what he wanted to say next.

"Y-Yeah... um... you know... when you... uh... like..." He coughed, clearing his throat, then readjusted his speech. "The day before the finals. Yeah. I liked that day."

Kin smirked.

"I suppose you liked the kiss too."

"Y-Yeah," the Uchiha boy replied absentmindedly. Then his brain processed what she'd said, and he choked, on his own saliva.

"Well..." Kin placed her arms around his shoulders, and Sasuke felt his heart beating wildly. Then she leaned in, and they kissed.

Sasuke pulled away first, nervously running a hand through his air. _That was awesome. _

Her smirk not leaving her face, Kin left another kiss on Sasuke's cheek, and turned to walk towards the gates.

Stunned, Sasuke recovered just in time to see her about to walk through the gigantic gates of Konoha.

"Oi!" He yelled boldly. "That kiss... it binds you to me, you got it? So you better come back and visit sometime!" He placed his palm over his face at how lame he sounded, but his spirits were lifted as Kin gave him a reply. A simple one, no less, but he was happy to know she'd heard him.

"See ya!"

* * *

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto grinned.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke broke into a broader grin than Naruto. His blonde teammate stared at him with a curious look. Sasuke seemed to be unusually happier than normal today.

"Sakura Haruno."

Sakura smiled, standing at attention.

"And lastly... Shikamaru Nara."

"This is so troublesome," the lazy Nara commented with a yawn.

Hiruzen smiled at the four shinobi.

"Congratulations. The four of you have officially been promoted from Genin to Chunin of the Leaf."

"Yesss!" Naruto cheered.

The Sandaime continued reading off his reports. "Firstly, Shikamaru." Said boy stared at the Hoakge. "You demonstrated flexibility and quick-thinking in your match with Temari Sabaku of the Sand."

"I did? What a drag."

"Your strategy, whipped up in barely a minute, was successful and you managed to push her into the choice of giving up or getting finished off by your jutsu. The daimyo and the Jonin judges were very impressed, and we feel that if you are given more time than just a minute, you could cook up the perfect battle strategy."

"I could? Maybe. Troublesome."

"Another plus point, is the fact that you refrained from finishing your opponent without giving her the choice to give up. Sometimes, as Chunin, you are sent on missions to capture enemies with important information. Finishing them off, or killing them, in this instance, will possibly cut off all access to the information we want."

Shikamaru nodded slowly.

"With that, I as the Hokage, appoint you, Shikamaru Nara, as one of the newest Chunin of the Leaf."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru said with a small smile on his face.

"Next. Sakura Haruno." Hiruzen flipped a few pages in his report as Sakura looked at the village leader eagerly. "You displayed an impressive talent for Earth Style jutsu and the daimyo was particularly impressed with your amount of known ninjutsu."

Sakura smiled proudly.

"You, like Shikamaru, displayed smarts and planned out an accurate strategy for your opponent to be hit by one of her own weapons," the Sandaime continued. "You thus wowed the Jonin and daimyo judges with your victory."

Sakura's smile grew broader.

"With that, I as the Hokage, appoint you, Sakura Haruno, as one of the newest Chunin of the Leaf."

"Great job, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, punching the air with his fist.

"Next," Hiruzen spoke. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Yes, sir," Sasuke could barely contain his excitement.

"Sasuke displayed speed and technique in his battle against Kankuro Sabaku of the Sand. The Jonin judges were particularly impressed with your ability to control and maximize the effectiveness of the Cursed Seal, considered as a power in the class of S-Rank. You were also able to take out your opponent with a powerful A-Rank technique, the Chidori."

Sasuke smiled.

"Lastly, your speed in battle is one of the best we've seen in a Genin so far. You managed to cut the puppeteer's chakra strings, rendering his battle style useless not once, but twice. The Substitution Jutsu you used at the end to dodge his attack, before finally impaling your Chidori on him from behind, impressed the judges with it's quickness."

Grinning, Sasuke adjusted his Konoha forehead protector.

"With that, I as the Hokage, appoint you, Sasuke Uchiha, as one of the newest Chunin of the Leaf."

Sasuke beamed with pride.

"Lastly." Hiruzen smiled at the boy who used to be the most unpopular in the village. He had come a long way. "Naruto Uzumaki."

"Lay it on me, old man!" Naruto grinned.

"Despite his battle getting interrupted by the invasion, Naruto Uzumaki proved that he'd what it took to be promoted to Chunin." The Third read off his report. "You displayed your knowledge of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. With this, you were able to use the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, a kinjutsu and an A-Rank technique."

"Damn right!" Naruto cheered.

"Your mastery of kenjutsu also delighted and impressed the Jonin and daimyo. Infusing your swords with Wind chakra to slice through your opponent's sand techniques is also an art extremely difficult to master. No Genin has ever done this - congratulations on being the first."

Naruto nodded sheepishly. "It's all thanks to Itachi-sensei!"

"Lastly, your invention of the Wind Style: Razor Wind and the Sword Clone Jutsu gave us enough reasons to promote you. If you remained as Genin, you would be an extremely overpowered one." Hiruzen chuckled at this.

"How did you know I created them?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Probably because no one's ever heard of them before," Sasuke laughed, giving his teammate a light punch in the arm.

"Although you displayed little to no skill in strategy and planning, your brute strength and power was enough to convince us for a promotion."

"Yesss! Who cares about strategy! Power and strength is all you need!" Naruto shrieked into the air.

"You're so loud, Naruto. Troublesome..." Shikamaru shook his head.

"With that, I as the Hokage, appoint you, Naruto Uzumaki, as the newest Chunin of the Leaf!"

* * *

"Hm... the Sun has set."

The biggest one of the group spoke first. He seemed a little overweight.

"Don't state the obvious, Jirobo, you fat ass."

"Tayuya..." Jirobo was getting annoyed with his redheaded teammate. "A woman shouldn't talk like that."

"Fuck off."

Kidomaru chuckled, while Sakon sighed.

The four shinobi spotted the Oto symbol on their forehead protectors.

"Hey... you know about Kin? Kin Tsuchi?"

Tayuya turned to look at Kidomaru. "Yeah, that bitch. What about her?"

"I heard she got close to that Uchiha kid. Heh."

"Kin getting close to someone," Tayuya laughed. "That's funny as fuck. Who would be able to stand her?"

Jirobo smirked. "That's a question you should be asking yourself."

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Shhh. Tayuya. Jirobo. Kidomaru."

"Shhh! Shh! Shhh!" Tayuya mocked.

Sakon glared at her, sending a wave of killing intent, but Tayuya simply shot her teammate a smirk. "We aren't here to play. We are here for our target, to please Orochimaru-sama."

"To please?" Tayuya scoffed. "That sounds fucking wrong!"

Sakon rolled his eyes.

Then, they saw their target.

Immediately, the Sound Four made their move.

Sasuke Uchiha continued his stroll towards the Uchiha Compound. He tugged onto his new Chunin vest with a bright smile on his face, worn over his Uchiha shirt.

He'd made his clan proud. With that thought in his head, the young Uchiha grinned at himself.

The smile was wiped off his face as someone landed in front of him and gave him a kick in the face.

"Ow!" Sasuke was thrown to the ground. "What was that for?"

"You will come with us, Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke looked up, his Sharingan activated.

"And who the hell are you?"

"We don't even have to talk to this bastard," Tayuya snorted, appearing behind Sasuke. "It's obvious he doesn't want to come. We'll just have to take him by force."

The newly-made Chunin turned around. _She's fast! _

Before he could fight, he felt a hand slamming into his neck.

Sasuke felt the world going black.

* * *

**Yikes! Another chapter not more than 2,000 words, but the upcoming fight scenes will hopefully be more than 3,000. **

**In the next chapter, Sasuke is taken and the Sasuke Retrieval Team is formed. **

**But are they the same members? ;) **

**Stay tuned to find out. **


	38. Formation: Team Naruto

**I have a feeling that one person used 7 different personas to review... There were 7 reviews from 'Guests' last chapter and 3/4 of them were telling me to 'update, update, update'. Well...  
**

**To be honest, I would prefer someone who actually logs in/creates an account to review my story/other stories. I don't usually take reviews from site guests seriously, unless they're really long, lengthy and meaningful-looking. Of course, I take the praise seriously, but the people who keep telling me to 'update, update, update', well, it's a tad bit tiresome to read. **

**Tests are next week so I might not have the time to update daily for awhile. **

**_Aurora-chan_: Ah, I see. And believe me, I liked that part too.  
**

**_Charrmed_: Your analysis on Shikamaru is a hundred percent accurate! :p Sasuke being an emo jerk was one of the reasons I disliked him a little in canon, so I went ahead and made one in which Sasuke is a nice guy! For once. :D **

_**The True Not Important**_**: Thank you! To be honest I was feeling like Sasuke in the story was feeling at the moment. What did I just write? But I couldn't think of anything better to say, so I did that. ;) **

_**Rain Dove**_**: 'Fast pace writing' is just something I like to go by... I'll be looking to slow that down from now on. Thank you for finally allowing me to use your pen name in replies. You have no idea how annoying it was to reply to someone named 'Sorry'. Rain Dove sounds so much better. **

_**tamu**_**: No shit, Sherlock! ;)**

**_Pyr00tje_: There's a difference - Sasuke used his speed to help power his finishing move :)**

**Thanks to _merry1995, Chilly, Guest, Guest, tayuya-chan, missyami, sasukitten, Guest, Aurora-chan, Charrmed, The True Not Important, Rain Dove, Swordianspeed, tamu, Guest, Pyr00tje _and _Revolutionpunk_ for the reviews! **

**Jesus, the amount of reviews last chapter. **

* * *

Naruto stared at Hiruzen, who stared back at his favorite Konoha Genin with a serious look on his face.

With a grim sigh, the Third decided to repeat his earlier words.

"Guards manning the village gates at approximately 8 o'clock last night were attacked and knocked out by a group of four. Sasuke Uchiha is now missing from his village. We have cause to believe that these four shinobi were sent by Orochimaru to kidnap Sasuke."

Beside Naruto, Sakura growled angrily. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Sasuke, kidnapped.

"Damn it!" Naruto slammed his fist on the table of the Hokage. "Just when he got made Chunin too... Damn it!"

"Naruto. Sakura." Hiruzen addressed the two new Chunin with seriousness in his voice. "This will be your first mission as a Chunin. Listen up."

The two immediately straightened up.

"The both of you will each lead a four-man team, comprising of one Chunin and three Genin. Find the six strongest Genin you can think of in the village. When the teams are formed, both teams will split up and hunt for the whereabouts of Sasuke separately. Collectively, these two teams will be known as the... Sasuke Retrieval Squad."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Sakura said. Part of her was greatly frustrated by the kidnapping of her beloved Sasuke, but another small part of her was excited. She was leading a team.

"Wait. Old man." Naruto frowned. "One Chunin and three Genin?"

Hiruzen sighed. "The village has been greatly short-staffed following the invasion. Despite the failed attempt, shinobi are still working hard on repairing some areas of the village and the missions are continuing to pour in. Even academy instructors are being sent on missions."

Naruto's eyes widened, as his mind flashed to Iruka for a second.

"That's why I can't allow you to take any Jonin along. Itachi is on an important A-Ranked mission, and I'm afraid he won't be hearing good news when he returns," the Sandaime shuddered just thinking of what his top Jonin's reaction would be.

"Fine," Naruto nodded. "But, what about Shikamaru? You said... one Chunin, and three Genin, on each team..."

"Shikamaru is on an important mission, as well, a B-Ranked one. It's a fairly short one and he'll be returning today. I will see if I can send him as backup then."

Naruto nodded again. His mind flashed back to Sasuke and he quickly charged out of the door to find his new teammates. Sakura followed after, also fretting over the absent member of Team 7.

* * *

Naruto glared hard at the ground.

_Sasuke... wait for us. _

He then started thinking about his team.

_We need a strong team if we're going to rescue Sasuke! _

The blonde thought back to a conversation with his sensei. In Wave, Naruto had casually asked about shinobi teams and Itachi had explained that a four-man team would always need to be balanced. Naruto closed his eyes, recalling his words.

_"So you're asking about search teams now, huh? Well, it's good to see you're keen to learn. Anyway, firstly, a team designated for seeking out a captured ally or an enemy with vital information must be balanced, like every other normal team." _

_"In such a team, first up, you have a tracker. The tracker is vital for the search team. With his abilities, the one given the role of the tracker has to seek out the target. Without a tracker in the team, it will be impossible for the mission to be completed." _

_"Next up, is the one known as the fighter. The fighter is primarily in charge whenever a battle occurs and if needed, he'll be the one given the role of buying time when an enemy appears to start a battle that is unnecessary to your mission. As the fighter, one must be skilled in fights and battles, obviously." _

_"Then, the thinker. Skilled in strategy-planning, this member will be handed the responsibility of outlining the plans of a mission. What to do and how to fight if an enemy surfaces, how the mission is completed, and even the route of the mission - this guy must plan it all. Usually, if you need someone in this role, you find a Nara, who are known for their genius minds." _

_"Last but not least, the leader. This member role is usually given to a Jonin, and occasionally a Chunin. As a leader, one must of course be leading the team and have good leadership and communication skills. Preferably, his abilities and personality should also be balanced between a fighter and thinker." _

Opening his eyes, Naruto quickly made plans.

He was obviously going to be the leader. Naruto didn't know how much of a thinker he was, but what he did know was he could fill the boots of the fighter with ease.

However, with him in the role of the leader, he would have to find a 'fighter', a 'thinker', and a 'tracker'.

With Shikamaru out of the question, Naruto had no idea where he would find a 'thinker'.

_First thing's first, let's find... a 'fighter'... _

An energetic, jumpsuit-wearing, self-proclaimed beast popped up in his mind.

After searching in six of the Konoha training grounds, Naruto finally found his desired Genin in the Eighth Training Ground of the Leaf.

"It's Naruto-kun!"

"Bushy Brows." Naruto acknowledged. He wanted to smile but he couldn't bring himself to. Lee was in the middle of his set of one-handed push-ups. Naruto hated to disturb him, but decided the matter at hand was more pressing.

Explaining the situation to Lee, Naruto finished with extending an invitation to Lee to be the first member of his team.

Although in genuine shock, the green beast nodded and pumped his fist into the air. "Yosh! What a youthful mission you have been handed! Of course, I, Rock Lee, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha must accept your invitation!"

Naruto nodded. "Good to hear! Meet me at the village gates in fifteen minutes."

His next target was the tracker. Who could track? Naruto was about to ask Kiba, but then his mind flashed to a certain someone.

Walking towards the Hyuga Compound, Naruto navigated his way through the mini-village that housed only white-eyed citizens.

Seeing a house marked with 'Branch' and 'Neji Hyuga', Naruto knocked.

Neji opened up, decked in his ninja attire. From the sweat on his face, Naruto could tell he'd been training.

"Oh, it's Naruto," Neji frowned. "I don't usually get visitors. This must be something important."

"It is," Naruto sighed.

Neji's frown turned deeper after understanding the mission.

Then, the Hyuga boy smiled, something Naruto didn't really think he was capable of.

"It is an honor that you have chosen me for this mission. Of course I will go."

"You are going to be the tracker. To be honest, you're going to be the tracker, the fighter and the thinker all rolled into one, but primarily, the tracker, with your ability... what's that called, again?"

Neji sighed. "The Byakugan."

"Ah, yeah. The Byakugan," Naruto said sheepishly.

A Hyuga clan member walking past shot him a glare.

"You do not know what the most powerful dojutsu in the world is named? Pitiful," the man snapped, and continued on his way.

"Bastard," Naruto snorted. Then he turned to Neji. "Thank you for agreeing, Neji. I'll meet you at the village gates in ten minutes."

Nodding, Neji closed his door, and started preparing himself.

_I don't know him well... but even I know that Naruto isn't usually this polite,_ Neji thought, grabbing his ninja tools and leaving them on the table. _This mission is an important one for him. _

"Now, the thinker." Naruto said to himself, exiting the Hyuga Compound. "Shikamaru is out, so..." He recalled Itachi's words once more.

_"Eh, Itachi-sensei! What happens when a Nara refuses to help? Like Shikamaru! He's always so lazy and muttering about things being troublesome. I doubt he would want to help out on a search mission." _

_"You need to have more faith in your friends, Naruto... I don't think a Nara would refuse to help if the mission was important. But if that really happens, just get a really, really smart ninja. Maybe a Rookie of the Year, like Sasuke. He's a fighter and thinker mixed in one. A good leader in my opinion." _

_"Me too, right?!" _

_"Uh... no, not really, Naruto." _

_"Hey! You're just being biased because I'm not your little brother!" _

_"Hahahaha, no, that's not the case..." _

The words echoed in Naruto's head.

A Rookie of the Year, like Sasuke.

But Sasuke wasn't here, so what was the next best thing?

The runner-up for Rookie of the Year.

With a determined expression on his face, Naruto ran towards one of the clan compounds once more.

He reached his destination soon enough. To the blonde's relief, Shino Aburame was walking out of the compound as Naruto arrived. He didn't want to venture into the Aburames' dwelling place. It was probably full of bugs.

"It's Naruto," Shino noted to himself. "Hello, Naruto. I was just leaving to train for a bit."

After being told about everything he needed to know, Shino thought for a moment. "So you want me to be... the brains of the team."

"Yeah. You aced every test in the academy, didn't you? So you're probably pretty smart! Besides, Neji will be present and he's also a really smart guy, so he'll be helping you out in that area."

Shino frowned. "I can't say I'm as smart as Shikamaru or that other guy, Neji... but of course I'll help you on your mission. Sasuke is a shinobi of Konoha, and since I have been handed the task to rescue him, who am I to refuse?"

"That sounds great. Please meet me at the village gates in five minutes."

"Alright."

Returning home, Naruto fumbled through his closet.

Hidden in the wave of similar orange outfits, Naruto found the one he'd purchased just yesterday, after officially hearing of his promotion to Chunin.

A customized orange undershirt.

Laying it on his bed, he took off the orange jacket he always wore, his signature outfit. Replacing it with his orange undershirt, Naruto cast a glance towards the wardrobe change that came with being a Chunin.

The Konohagakure flak jacket, or Chunin vest.

Putting it on, Naruto strapped on his tool bag to his waist.

It was time for the mission.

* * *

"This distance should be enough."

Jirobo nodded, and grabbed the unconscious Sasuke off his back, laying the Uchiha on the ground. Sakon walked over with a pill in hand, and forced it into Sasuke's mouth, making sure he swallowed it.

As soon as he did, Sasuke's eyes flew open and he jerked forward.

"Where am I...? Gaaaahh!"

"Jirobo!" Sakon roared.

Jirobo hauled Sasuke up and quickly placed him into a container, with him screaming and all.

"Now!"

All four members of the Sound team clapped their hands into hand seals.

"Four Black Mists Formation!"

The container released a whirlwind of purple smoke.

Getting out a seal tag, Sakon bit his thumb, drawing blood, and with it, wrote on the paper. Attaching it to the container, the grey-haired shinobi did a hand seal.

"Ninja Art: Dark Seal."

The seal glowed.

Sakon smirked.

"It is done."

* * *

Naruto showed up in his new outfit. His new Chunin vest and orange undershirt, complete with his original orange pants. The three Genin in front of him were visibly impressed by his new look.

He nodded to what he newly-dubbed Team Naruto. Neji, Lee and Shino were in their ninja attire.

Sakura then appeared, with her formed team behind her.

Naruto observed them closely, and smiled brightly as he saw Kiba waving at him with a smirk on his face.

"I knew it... you picked Kiba."

"My nose is just too great, I guess," the Inuzuka laughed, and Akamaru barked in agreement. "I'm just disappointed you didn't pick me, Naruto!" He growled. Naruto chuckled sheepishly.

The rest of Sakura's team included Ino and Choji. Naruto was a little surprised at her choices, but looked at his team and figured out he'd already picked the best anyway, so there was really little room for Sakura to pick.

"Alright." Sakura nodded. "Let's go."

"Wait." Naruto walked to the front of the squad. He fixed all of them with a serious look, an uncharacteristic act of the Uzumaki. "I know a few of you here do not know much about Sasuke, nor do you feel like doing so."

No replies came, so he continued.

"However!" Naruto roared. "He is a shinobi of Konohagakure. He is one of us! He is our comrade! And what do we do when we have a comrade in trouble?" The Kyuubi Jinchuriki paused, allowing the question to sink in.

"We rescue that comrade!"

Sakura smiled. _Naruto... _

Choji's jaw hung open at his friend's speech. _That was... so cool! _

Kiba's smirk only grew wider.

"So, as the overall in charge of this entire squad," Naruto folded his arms. "I expect every single one of you, to give your hundred percent into this mission!" Placing his hand forward, letting it hover in mid-air, he continued. "Now who's with me?!"

Sakura placed her hand on Naruto's first. The two members of Team 7 looked at each other and nodded.

They were soon joined by six more hands.

As Naruto and his team got ready to move, Sakura addressed him.

"Since we're likely to be heading the same way, my team will be a few meters behind and act as backup. You go on ahead first and when we are fifty meters apart - stop for five minutes to draw up battle strategies and a plan."

"Good idea," Naruto nodded. Punching the air, he yelled to his teammates. "Alright! Team Naruto sets off now!"

At his call, Neji, Shino and Lee disappeared, all jumping into the air along with their new leader.

Team Naruto entered the forest, and stopped after five minutes of running.

"Alright, Shino, Neji." Naruto nodded.

"Right." Shino stepped forward. "So here it is. Of course, as Naruto has explained to all of us the roles of the tracker, fighter and thinker - I'll just have to explain it again. In this case, I am the thinker, but a mix of a fighter and a thinker. Neji is the tracker of the team, and his dual role is as the fighter. Lee will hold up simply one role, as the fighter, and Naruto will be the leader of the team."

Neji nodded. "My Byakugan can stretch far, and I'll be using it to track down and look for Sasuke and his captives. We are likely to be able to reach them easily - the only problem is the fact that we will have to fight enemy shinobi, and I'm pretty sure Orochimaru wouldn't send his weaker subordinates for this."

"Of course," Naruto frowned.

"Alright, so here's the plan."

* * *

Kidomaru turned and glared at the trees behind him.

"We are being followed."

"Yeah, I noticed." Sakon revealed.

"Followed?" Jirobo asked. He'd not sensed anything.

"Yes." Sakon closed his eyes. "A four-man team... No... wait... not just four... five... or six... I can't make out the exact number... but it looks like it's a four-man team, with a few others following behind for backup."

"How can you predict it so accurately?"

Sakon smirked. "Chakra sensing. Maybe if you practice and stop being lazy, you can do it too."

Jirobo grunted in response.

"He's right, you know, fat ass. Maybe you should stop eating too," Tayuya snickered.

"I believe it's your turn to carry the container, Tayuya," Jirobo growled, tossing the container over to the redhead. Tayuya caught it, as the four continued their journey forward.

"Here's the plan," Sakon told the team. "I think we'll be able to take all of them out, but we cannot delay the delivery of the vessel. I believe they have a tracking ninja within their team, so Jirobo and Kidomaru will split from us once we reach that branch over there."

"Ah, I get it," Kidomaru smiled. "You want to throw them off. Fine, let's see what these Konoha shinobi can do."

"I'll be seeing what I can do to mask our scent." Sakon looked up. "Jirobo, Kidomaru. Now."

The two Sound ninjas stopped on the specified branch, and made a right turn.

"You think that'll throw the fuckers off?" Tayuya asked.

"It will," Sakon proclaimed confidently.

* * *

**Longer than the last one, so I'm happy enough. Naruto, Lee, Neji and Shino. What do you think? In the next chapter, the Sasuke Retrieval Squad meets their first adversary of the mission. Stay tuned. **

**A simple question to end off today's chapter, the most asked question of the Naruto universe: Sakura or Hinata? **

**Leave your interesting responses in the reviews. **


	39. Jirobo: The First Challenge

**The moment I complain about site guests in my last chapter, three site guests pop up with reviews that don't consist of one-word praises or 'update now, please', and instead, reviews that actually mean something. Fair enough ;) **

**In case anyone is wondering, Sakura's team will NOT be left out of the spotlight, as we will see from this chapter :)**

_**Guest**_**: I feel the 1v1 battles vs the Sound Four were needed. I just feel that there should have been more members in the squad. Sasuke is an important member of the village and the Hokage goes ahead and sends one Chunin and three Genin.  
**

_**Aurora-chan**_**: I've already got plans for Sakura ;) **

_**Charrmed**_**: I completely forgot about a medic! To be fair, there also aren't many Genin in Part I who are also good medical-nins :P **

_**Lin**_**: This is the best review I've ever gotten from a site guest. Thank you. **

_**Rain Dove**_**: "You exhibit Naruto's growth in thinking skills quite well, and now he can...well, he can actually think!" made me crack up. Thanks for the super cool review as usual. **

_**zarethuzumi**_**: You describe my thoughts about Hinata and Sakura perfectly! **

** Thanks to _Guest, Aurora-chan, Charrmed, Lin, Rain Dove, TheOrangeStar802, Guest, zarethuzumi _and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"Hm."

"Neji, what is it?"

Neji stopped, prompting the rest of the team to stop as well.

"Two shinobi are in the 9 o'clock direction, while another two are up ahead of us. It appears none of them have Sasuke. Either that, or he is being held captive in something that my Byakugan cannot bypass."

"Are they splitting up?" Shino frowned.

"I already know what they're trying to do," Neji frowned. "Two of them have Sasuke, and the other two are trying to throw us off their tracks."

"I got it..." Shino nodded. "The ones who have Sasuke are the ones that are really heading to their destination, most likely with their scent masked, but they didn't expect a Hyuga would be in the team."

"Well, we aren't the only ones chasing after Sasuke," Neji nodded towards Naruto.

"Gotcha." Naruto spoke into his wireless radio. "Sakura-chan."

"Naruto," Sakura replied. "Kiba has smelled something."

"I expected that. Now, where's the direction of the scent?"

"The 9 o'clock direction!" Naruto heard Kiba yell into the radio.

"What do you think, Naruto?" Sakura's voice returned.

Naruto turned towards Neji and Shino.

"Of course, my theory about the ones with Sasuke masking their scent could be wrong," Shino stated. "So, just in case, Sakura's team will go for the enemies at 9 o'clock, while we continue up ahead."

Naruto relayed Shino's plans to Sakura.

"Good idea, Naruto," Sakura said, before cutting the wireless link.

"Yosh! Let's continue!" Lee yelled. Team Naruto sped on.

* * *

Team Sakura switched directions.

"The guys we're going for better have my Sasuke-kun! I'm going to beat them up so bad!" Ino boasted.

"Now's not the time, Ino!" Sakura scolded, looking back.

Ino blinked, but nodded dumbly and continued.

Kiba's nose twitched after a few minutes. "One of them... has stopped." His eyes narrowed. "Is he... waiting for us?"

Sakura frowned.

Choji and Ino landed on one of the trees. Sakura and Kiba landed on another. Team Sakura stared at what they assumed was the enemy.

"That rope belt..." Sakura glared at the purple rope-like belt around the teen's waist. She remembered Orochimaru and his similar attire. "I think... No... I'm sure, he's the enemy."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Before Sakura could stop him, Kiba had Akamaru turn into a clone of himself. "Fang Over Fang!"

Jirobo turned, a knowing smirk on his face as the Inuzuka and his ninken's attack commenced. The Oto-nin was easily caught in the speedy move.

"No way, he got him on the first try," Sakura gasped. _No... it can't be this easy... _

The pinkette found out how right she was, as Kiba's attack ended and Akamaru reverted back to dog form. The two had mud all over them, and there was a pool of mud on the ground.

_The Earth Style Shadow Clone!_ Sakura instantly recognized the technique. Before she could shout to warn Kiba, she felt a kunai pressing itself against her throat.

"Don't move."

Sakura's eyes widened and she turned back slightly.

Jirobo smirked. "They send just one pinky, one mutt, and his dog? Konoha is getting pitiful."

Suddenly, the mohawk-spotting teen turned to see a blue-colored missile speeding towards him. Not sensing anything good in this, Jirobo jumped away, dropping his kunai.

_Good job, Ino!_ Sakura silently thanked her rival, as she descended from the tree.

Choji jumped off the tree he was standing on as well, carrying an unconscious Ino, and set her down.

"Sakura, Ino won't be active for awhile," Choji informed.

"Yes, I know... She used her Mind Transfer Jutsu," Sakura looked towards Jirobo. "In that case, please guard her body and ensure no harm is done to her while she is out."

Choji nodded.

"Ah, so it's four little brats," Jirobo sneered. "You won't be able to get around me, let alone the rest of our team."

"Don't underestimate the Leaf," Sakura retorted. "Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu." Her fists were soon covered by chakra-created rock.

"An Earth Style user," Jirobo grinned. "This is going to be good." He patted his stomach.

"Good, my ass! Take this! Tunneling Fang!" Kiba spun towards Jirobo, who dodged the technique with ease. Kiba went spiraling away.

"Hyaaa!" Sakura jumped into the air, and landed with her fist aimed towards Jirobo's face. He chuckled evilly, and with both hands, caught her punches.

Sakura blinked.

_He stopped my Stone Fist Jutsu... with just his hands! _

His hands now grabbing tightly onto Sakura's fist, Jirobo swung her around before tossing her towards a tree. Kiba jumped up and caught the team captain in mid-air.

"Nice reflexes, boy," Jirobo commented. "But you're still going to die." He dug his hands into the ground, channeling chakra through them. "Earth Style: Sphere of Graves."

Sakura and Kiba stepped back, staring in horror as Jirobo lifted the surface of the earth he was standing on. With an almighty yell, the slightly-obese ninja used all his strength to throw the earth towards his opponents.

"Get out of the way!" Kiba screamed.

Kiba and Sakura leaped away, followed by Choji with the unconscious Ino. The earth slammed into an army of trees, flattening them all. Choji stared with his jaw hung open at the obvious sheer power of the enemy.

Ino soon awoke, and she jumped to her feet. Turning back to look at the flattened trees, she gasped.

"Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison!"

"He's not giving us a break," Kiba growled, moving forward. However, he only rammed himself into an earth wall that had not been there. Confused, the dog boy looked around him, to see an earth dome surrounding the team.

"I'm going to have fun eating up all your chakra," came the voice from outside.

"Eating up our chakra?" Sakura frowned.

"That's right! I have the ability to suck out chakra as long as you're in there!" Jirobo laughed evilly. "I haven't ate anything for hours now so you guys are going to be quite a meal!"

"Damn! I'm not sitting around and letting some moron take our chakra!" Kiba yelled, using Tunneling Fang as an attempt to break through the walls of the earth prison. To his dismay, the dented part of the wall was soon automatically repaired.

"Expansion Jutsu!" Choji grew into the size of a mini-giant. "Human Boulder!" The Akimichi heir rolled himself into the wall, only to have the damaged part repair itself as well.

"Don't even try! You will never be able to get out of there until each one of you have zero chakra left!"

Sakura growled, channeling as much chakra as she could to her right fist. With a roar, she slammed her stone fist into the wall. She let out a cry of frustration as the wall continued to repair itself.

Looking at her teammates attacking the wall, Ino wanted to do something herself, but sighed as she quickly remembered none of her jutsu would be useful in the current situation.

The Yamanaka blonde felt herself growing weaker.

"Do you guys feel that?"

"Yes," Sakura replied with an angered look on her face. "Some of our chakra... it's gone."

Choji reverted back to normal size.

"We aren't going to sit here and let him take all our chakra, are we?!" Kiba shrieked at his team.

"No," Choji dug his hand into his pockets, a confident look on his face. Ino stared as her teammate took out a small glass tube with three compartments. In each compartment was what looked like a pill.

"Choji!" Ino yelled. "You aren't going to use that, are you?"

"Use what?" Kiba was clueless.

Popping the green pill of the three into his mouth, Choji began growing once more.

"Super Expansion Jutsu!" He screamed, now easily reaching the top of the earth prison. As he grew, the ceiling of the prison began to break off and dent. Before it could repair itself, Choji continued growing.

"His growing rate is faster than the rate of repair," Sakura realized, looking as the chubby boy now completely broke through the ceiling.

Jirobo stared at Choji, wide-eyed as he now grew into a full-sized giant. As the top of his earth prison broke, so did the rest of the dome.

"We're out!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Choji," Ino sighed.

"Why are you looking so worried?"

Ino turned towards her rival, who had asked the question. "That pill... it converts fats into chakra, and it'll give Choji a massive boost of strength."

"So what are you worried about?"

"The problem is, each pill damages the body, and by the time he takes that red pill of his, his power will be increased a hundredfold, but he will eventually..."

"... die," Sakura finished the sentence, frowning. "So what's the drawback after he takes that green pill of his?"

Ino shook her head. "Pain."

Before the conversation could continue, the giant Choji had hurled himself onto Jirobo. Alarmed, the chakra-eating nin jumped out of the way and Choji slammed into the ground, leaving a giant dent shaped after his body.

"Sakura!" Choji had to yell from above for his captain to hear him. "There are two of them on this track, right?"

"Yeah!" Sakura called back, wondering what her former classmate was up to.

"Then you three go on ahead!" Choji pulled his fist back and then jerked it forward to land a punch towards Jirobo, who dodged it again. His fist instead sank into the ground, creating a massive dent and an ear-deafening boom. "Fight the second guy and find if he has Sasuke! I'll take care of this one!"

"Choji..." Sakura smiled. "Alright, but you'd better come after us!"

With a nod, Choji reached down to grab Jirobo. Grasping the Sound shinobi, he raised his hand.

"Put me down, fatso!" Jirobo shrieked. Sakura couldn't help thinking of the irony of his words.

"Heh, Choji's going to kill him now," Kiba noted. Indeed, Choji's face contorted into an angered expression, and the Akimichi slammed Jirobo down onto the ground.

"Alright, we are going to go on ahead," Sakura nodded to her teammates.

"Sakura," Ino quickly said. "I think I'll stay behind."

"Stay?"

"Yes. I'll back Choji up. We are in the same team and we know how the other party works in a fight."

Sakura frowned, but agreed with a nod. She soon departed with Kiba.

The smoke from Jirobo's impact on the ground soon cleared.

Jirobo spotted clear wounds on his body, but his skin also now had black marks all over.

"What... what is that?" Ino exclaimed, as Choji returned to normal size and collapsed beside her. "Choji!"

"The Cursed Seal..." Jirobo coughed. "I didn't think I would have to resort to this to defeat someone as pathetic as you guys. But now you're finished, trash!" He leaped towards Ino.

Ino stepped back, wide-eyed.

_No... I have to...! _

Getting out a kunai, Ino tried to defend herself, but Jirobo easily punched her gut to send her spinning. Getting up again, she charged forward.

_I have to show Billboard Brow she didn't pick wrong when she asked me to come for this mission! _

"You are no match for me, girly!" Jirobo punched the ground, causing pieces of earth to rise up, stopping Ino in her charge. "So don't even try!" Three seconds passed and he was directly in front of her.

_He's fast! _

Miraculously, Ino managed to dodge his first punch. His second punch was blocked with a kunai, but the sheer pressure of it knocked Ino back.

_Not only that... he's incredibly strong as well... _

"In the Sound Four, I am the one with the most physical power," Jirobo grinned. "Give it up, because I'm going to hit you until you bleed to death."

Ino couldn't help shuddering at the threat.

"Eat this!"

Choji jumped in, landing an unexpected punch on Jirobo's cheek.

"Persistent vermin," Jirobo growled. "Sit down like the trash you are."

Choji felt his cowardly senses urging him to retreat, but he reminded himself that he was here as part of a team. _I can't fail Naruto and Sakura! _

Attaching strings of kunai to his body as he used the Expansion Jutsu, Choji rolled up into a boulder.

"Spiky Human Boulder!"

Jirobo glared at the rolling Akimichi. He jumped into the air, and Choji rolled right through a tree, chopping it down.

Choji stopped. The side-effects of the Spinach Pill was certainly troublesome. He now felt pain in every part of his body.

"Now you die!" Jirobo descended towards him, but Ino tackled him away. She landed a two centimeter scar on his arm with her kunai, but was punched away by Jirobo before she could do anything more.

Picking herself up, albeit with difficulty, Ino attacked again, but Jirobo grabbed onto her neck and raised her into the air.

Ino started choking, as Jirobo tightened his grip with a crazed smile.

"It's a pity your chakra will all go to waste," Jirobo chuckled. "But it's going to be worth seeing the look on your fat friend's face when I kill you."

Ino tried to speak, but she couldn't.

"Let... Let go of her!" Choji yelled, panting. He wanted to get up, but the pain was practically paralyzing him.

Swiftly, he popped the second pill into his mouth, the Curry Pill. Choji didn't want to experience the same pain he'd just been under, but he had no choice. A comrade was in danger.

Now with his strength returned to him tenfold, Choji got up and rammed his fist into Jirobo's stomach, causing him to drop Ino and reel back.

The blonde coughed violently, before looking up weakly. "T-Thanks, Choji..."

"Now..." Choji's two hands grew giant-sized. "Partial Expansion Jutsu!"

"You think you can beat me with that, you fatso-"

His reply was a painful punch from one of these fists. Choji punched him into the air, and jumped up with his opponent to send Jirobo back down with a punch to the back of his head.

As the two landed, Choji wrapped his fists together, and connected them to Jirobo's head, forcefully slamming his skull into the ground as they landed.

"How's that?" Choji taunted, his hands shrinking.

"I-Impressive..." Jirobo replied genuinely, lifting his head up.

Choji was amazed.

_After that blow... he can still speak? _

"But..."

Jirobo forced his body up.

"... It's still not enough to beat me, you piece of shit!"

"Partial Expansion Jutsu!" Choji's right hand grew again, and he defended himself as Jirobo tried to throw a punch.

"I didn't think I would need to resort to this...!" Jirobo drew back. The black marks on his skin glowed orange, and Choji watched in horror as his opponent's skin grew red. "The Cursed Seal... stage two!"

Jirobo's mohawk grew into a practical mane behind his back.

"What... what are you?"

Jirobo smirked.

* * *

"What?!"

Shikamaru stared at the Sandaime in disbelief.

"Sasuke was kidnapped?"

"Yes. Shikamaru," Hiruzen started. "You're back unexpectedly early, but that's a good thing. I want you to assist and provide backup to the Sasuke Retrieval Squad."

"It's a drag, but... Yes, Hokage-sama."

* * *

**I hope you liked Choji and Ino (although she did practically nothing, unfortunately) vs Jirobo! In the next chapter, Shikamaru arrives and the Ino-Shika-Cho formation is utilized. Meanwhile, Sakura and Kiba chance upon the next member of the Sound Four, Kidomaru. Until next time. **

**Another question to end off today: ShikaTema or ShikaIno? Has to be the former for me. :)**


	40. Shikamaru's Arrival: Taming the Beast

**It's Kook here again for another chapter of _Team Itachi_. **

**I am puzzled as to why everyone thinks I'm going to bring in Hinata for this. O.o **

_**Swordianspeed**_**: Thank you! To be honest I like both of the pairings, but I lean more towards ShikaTema. **

_**Rain Dove**_**: That means a lot coming from you, thank you :) **

_**Pyr00tje**_**: Not review a lot? Are you kidding? You're one of my most constant reviewers! :P thanks! **

**_Charrmed_: You hit the nail on the head. Which Orochimaru-worshipper isn't creepy? xD**

_**Hanna**** Lee**_**: Are you serious? The first few chapters weren't great in my opinion, hahaha. **

**Thanks to _Swordianspeed, merry1995, Rain Dove, zarethuzumi, Pyr00tje, Charrmed, Lin, RiinShirosakii, Hanna Lee, tamu _and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"What... what are you?"

Jirobo smirked.

With a distorted voice, the beast gave a roar and sprung towards Choji.

"Choji!" Ino shrieked.

Choji tried to defend himself, but Jirobo gave him a simple blow to the chest, sending him flying. Choji coughed out blood, shocked by the strength of the punch.

_Whatever he did to himself... it's enhancing his strength! _

Ino looked at the ground bitterly.

_I'm supposed to be backing Choji up! But I... I'm just being a burden! _

With a delightful cackle, Jirobo stomped over to Ino, prepared to give her a few killing blows.

Flying through the air, Choji saw this, and quickly forced himself to regain his composure. In mid-air, he yelled, "Super Expansion Jutsu!"

Growing into the size of a giant, Choji charged towards Jirobo and gave him a kick.

Jirobo smashed into a tree.

Raising his giant foot, Choji brought it down on Jirobo, crushing the Oto-nin, or so he thought.

Ino gasped in horror, as Jirobo lifted the gigantic foot in front of her eyes.

"I already told you, you can't beat me when I'm in level two of the Cursed Seal... fatso!" Jirobo summoned all his strength, and to his opponent's surprise, managed to push the giant Akimichi's foot off of him.

Losing his balance, Choji quickly reverted back to normal size before any trees could be crushed from a possible fall.

As soon as that happened, Jirobo was behind him.

Swiftly using the Partial Expansion Jutsu, Choji was able to block Jirobo's punch with his giant hands.

Ino attacked Jirobo with a kunai again, but was easily brushed away by the monster with a swipe of his arm. However, Choji managed to use this as a distraction, connecting his giant fist with Jirobo's face.

Jirobo was knocked back, and Choji continued the assault.

It was an all-out taijutsu battle, between two physically strong individuals.

Blocking Choji's giant fist with his own hand, Jirobo dealt a painful jab to Choji's chest and then a punch in his face intended to kill. The future Akimichi head was knocked back, but Jirobo wasn't done.

Choji was lifted into the air, and then rammed into a tree.

"Choji!" Ino screamed, picking herself up.

Getting an idea, Jirobo hauled Choji away from the tree and slammed him into the ground.

Choji tried to move, to get up, but he couldn't. The side-effects of the Curry Pill sank in, and the unbearable pain returned.

Thankfully, Jirobo hadn't caught on to the side-effects of the pill yet. Instead, he walked over to Ino, and with a mad smile, picked her up with one hand.

"I'm going to kill her while you watch, and then when I'm done, I'll kill you too."

Staring at the frightful face of Jirobo, Ino closed her eyes. _Is this it? _She thought back to her time with Team 10.

_I've never really done anything for my team. _

_It's always been Shikamaru, Choji and Asuma-sensei. _

_Even in the Chunin Exams, I couldn't put up a fight against Tenten. _

_All the while, instead of trying to improve my skills, I've been just... obsessing over my looks and thinking about boys. _

_I don't... I don't deserve to be a ninja. _

_Goodbye... Shikamaru, Choji, Asuma-sensei, Sasuke-kun... Daddy._

Choji's eyes widened. His hand moved into his pocket. The Chili Pill.

His cowardly personality kicked in again. He was going to be the next head of the Akimichi. Successor to his father. He was still a Genin. He'd just started his ninja career. Was he ready to die now?

The answer was no.

Then, Choji's gaze fixed on Ino, her eyes silently pleading her attacker for mercy.

With newfound determination, Choji felt his hands closing around the item that would, as his father had described it, give him unbelievable strength, stronger than the Hokage... as well as guarantee his death.

But he couldn't think about that now.

As Choji began to pull the Chili Pill from his pocket, he saw a shadow moving towards Jirobo.

The brown-haired Genin stopped and stared in surprise. _Is that...? _

Jirobo froze, dropping Ino.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu... success."

* * *

"Do you really think leaving Ino behind was a good idea?"

Sakura turned to Kiba, fixing him with a questioning look.

"I mean... she's probably the weakest in the entire squad..."

Sakura smiled, shaking her head.

"I believe in Ino."

Kiba snorted. "I thought you two were rivals."

"W-We are!" Sakura defended. "It's just... there's no time to be thinking about that on a mission like this."

Nodding in agreement, Kiba continued on his smelling. Detecting another presence, the Inuzuka stopped his team captain with an outstretched hand.

"Another guy... not moving... probably another enemy, waiting for us..."

"The fact that he's waiting for us must mean he doesn't have Sasuke-kun..." Sakura concluded. Then she looked up determinedly. "Still, we should check it out. Let's go."

The duo stopped, hiding within the bushes. Kiba sniffed the air and nodded.

Peeking out of the bushes, Sakura saw another shinobi. A forehead protector on him indicated he was from Oto, and the purple rope belts he wore were also similar to Orochimaru.

"Kiba, can you sniff out Sasuke-kun?"

Kiba sniffed. "No... Either Sasuke's kept in somewhere even my nose can't detect... or this guy doesn't have him."

Sakura growled. "Since that's the case, we'll backtrack and help Choji and Ino with the enemy. Then, we join up with Naruto's team again to pursue the-"

"Backtrack?" Sakura's eyes widened as she felt a presence behind her and Kiba. "I don't think so."

* * *

"Shadow Possession Jutsu... success."

"S-Shikamaru!" Ino exclaimed.

"Shikamaru..." Choji smiled, relaxing his grip on the Chili Pill.

Shikamaru Nara shot a lazy smile towards his two teammates. "Looks like I came in time."

"Who... who are you?" Jirobo growled. He tried to move, to attack this new opponent, but found that his limbs were frozen in place.

Without giving an answer, Shikamaru did three hand seals. "Ninja Art: Shadow Strangle Jutsu."

A shadow hand shot up Jirobo and edged towards his neck.

"Take this..."

The hand got to the beast's neck, and began tightening it's grip. Jirobo started choking, and tried desperately to free himself, now realizing what Shikamaru was trying to do.

With the strength granted to him with the Cursed Seal, Jirobo did just that.

Shikamaru frowned as the shadowy hand began to slowly withdraw from his target's neck.

Smirking, Jirobo continued to force it down. "You Konoha ninja are all trash... you need backup to catch me off-guard... yet, your backup can't do shit either!"

The Shadow Strangle Jutsu beginning to fail, Shikamaru called out urgently to Choji.

"Choji! Get him!"

"I... I can't... Shikamaru..." Choji whispered.

"Choji! C'mon!"

The side-effects of the Curry Pill remained, but had began to settle. Willing himself to get up, Choji began growing and balled himself up. Each step brought greater pain, but he couldn't fail his best friend and teammates.

"Human Boulder!"

Jirobo roared in anger as he tried to evade Choji, but the Shadow Possession Jutsu kept him in place.

Finally, he was able to free himself of Shikamaru's shadow, but he was too late. Choji's Human Boulder caught him and rammed him into a tree.

"Good job, Choji," Shikamaru smiled. It faded as Choji collapsed onto the ground, unconscious after his attack. "Choji?!"

Seeing their opponent wouldn't be moving for awhile, Shikamaru dug into the pockets of his best friend, immediately fearing the worst. To his relief, the Chili Pill remained, but the Spinach Pill and Curry Pill were missing.

With a sigh, the Nara boy laid Choji on the ground.

"Shikamaru... I'm sorry..."

Ino didn't know why she was apologizing, but felt that she had to.

"Choji... he... he took the pills... to save me..."

"Ino!" Shikamaru silenced her, getting up. "Now's not the time to be apologizing. Let's get him." He stepped forward. "I'll find a way to catch him in my Shadow Possession Jutsu again. When that's done, you use your Mind Transfer Jutsu on him."

"But if I do that, any damage done to him will also-"

"I know," Shikamaru cut her off. "I'll get your body and Choji. In the enemy's body, you will go with me back to Konoha. The Hokage will decide what to do with him."

"I get it," Ino nodded. "So we don't kill or defeat him, but we get him back to the village." _  
_

Shikamaru nodded in reply. "He made Choji resort to using two pills... this guy... we won't be a match for him, so that's the only other option."

Jirobo, slowly recovering from the blow of Choji's Human Boulder, rose back up to his feet and fixed a hateful glare on the two members of Team 10. Shikamaru straightened himself.

"This is probably going to be the most troublesome fight I'm going to experience..."

With a maniacal cry, Jirobo charged towards Ino, but Shikamaru jumped in front of his teammate and did the Rat seal.

Immediately, his shadow shot out.

Already seeing what Shikamaru's shadow could do, Jirobo jumped to the side, avoiding it.

"I'm not going to be caught in that a second time, Konoha-nin!" He declared, and jumped forward to attack again.

"Tsk. Troublesome." Shikamaru manipulated his shadow once more, causing it to make a turn to follow Jirobo's moves.

"It can turn?" Jirobo realized. Annoyed by the fact, the mane-spotting shinobi postponed his attack, leaping back to avoid the shadow. "This blasted shadow is frustrating."

"Ino," Shikamaru spoke. "Get the explosive tags in my pocket."

Following his instructions, Ino got out four explosive tags.

"Attach them to your kunai and fling them at him. Hopefully it'll serve as a good distraction."

Jirobo was already moving as fast as he could to avoid the moving shadow. Fortunately for Shikamaru, Jirobo didn't think the shadow had a specific range limit, and hadn't thought about jumping back for the technique to cease.

"Alright..." Ino threw the first of the kunai. "Boom!" She grinned as the kunai sank into the unsuspecting Jirobo's arm and exploded.

Excitement quickly turned to shock as Jirobo reappeared behind her with a Substitution Jutsu.

Reacting quickly, Ino grabbed her second kunai and stabbed it into Jirobo's knee. The close range proximity between them made it impossible to miss. Activating the explosive tag on the weapon, both Ino and Jirobo were flung forward and backward respectively.

Shikamaru was also thrown back, although unharmed.

"Ino!" He cried.

"Worth it," the blonde muttered to herself, as she felt blood running down new wounds on her back.

"You... you little..." Jirobo got up again, although visibly hurt from the explosion. Tearing off his tattered shirt, the bare-chested ninja tried to attack Ino again, but Shikamaru tackled Jirobo before he could reach his target.

The shadow manipulator received a punch to the face in return.

Recovering quickly, Shikamaru jumped in front of Ino, and dropped a smoke bomb.

Jirobo growled, as the smoke shielded his opponents from his line of sight.

With the injured Ino in his arms, Shikamaru leaped onto a nearby tree, sincerely praying that the enemy had forgotten about the unconscious body of Choji lying a few meters away.

"Ino," Shikamaru looked down. "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah..." _Why am I always the one being rescued? Why can't I protect myself? _

"Tch. You are such a troublesome woman." Shikamaru muttered.

For once, Ino found herself mentally agreeing with Shikamaru.

Seeing his words had a negative effect on his blonde teammate, the Nara sighed. "I didn't mean that."

They had no more time to converse, as Jirobo was soon flying through the air towards them. Shikamaru jumped off the branch, seconds before Jirobo grabbed hold of it and snapped it in half.

Landing on the ground, Shikamaru looked down at Ino again. "You can walk, right?"

His reply was a nod. Shikamaru let Ino down, and quickly resumed the shadow assault. As Jirobo landed on the ground as well, a shadow flew towards him.

"This annoying shadow again..." Jirobo jumped to the left, then to the right, desperately trying to avoid the shadow. "How do I get rid of it?"

_You keep jumping backwards until you're out of the shadow's range, but obviously you aren't too smart to be unable to think of something like that,_ Shikamaru silently replied, with a smirk on his face.

"Ino!" Shikamaru called.

"Oh... right." The Genin of the two aimed and threw the third kunai. Jirobo was unable to catch a good look at it due to his constant dodging of the shadow, and simply tried to knock it away with a swipe of his hand, and in the event, got caught in his third explosion of the day.

"The next kunai... now!" Shikamaru yelled. Ino complied, her last kunai soon gone from her hands.

Jirobo emerged from the smoke. "Is explosions all you trash can rely on-"

Another explosion followed.

_Now!_ Shikamaru thought to himself, focusing all his chakra on the shadow.

Jirobo was lying against a tree as smoke cleared once more, cursing the explosions.

"Stop using explosive tags," Jirobo complained. "If you're a real ninja, come and prove it with your own techniques!" With that said, he got up.

"I just did."

Unfortunately for the Sound ninja, he could not move a single step further.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu, success."

"Damn you Konoha-nin..."

Shikamaru simply chuckled. "Looks like we've tamed the beast."

"A beast, alright," Jirobo glared. "As soon as I'm out of this, you and your girlfriend are dead."

"My girlfriend?" Shikamaru yawned. "No way. She's too troublesome."

Ino shot Shikamaru a look, which he returned with a lazy smile.

"Now... Ino." The Chunin turned to his companion.

Placing her hands in the specific hand seal, Ino focused her aim on Jirobo.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu."

* * *

"So, how did you find us?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Battle sounds. Trail. You guys leave footsteps, y'know?"

"Oh, so that's it."

"Yeah. By the way, are you okay?" He looked down, the unconscious body of Ino in his arms.

"I am." Jirobo, or Ino in this case, grunted beside him, Choji on his, or her, back. "Just a few minor bruises and stuff like that."

Shikamaru turned to look at the possessed body of his enemy. "Any idea how to look like a human being again?"

"I don't know," Ino said in disgust, feeling her newly-acquired orange mane flowing behind her.

Chuckling, Shikamaru continued on towards the direction of Konoha.

Ino looked down, as she followed after her teammate.

_Next time... I'm not going to let my teammate get hurt protecting me again. _

* * *

**So Jirobo is... somewhat defeated. I hope you guys were pleased with the fight itself and the outcome of the battle. And yes, basically, that is everything there is to Shikamaru's involvement, unfortunately. In the next chapter, it is Sakura and Kiba's turn to partner up to fight the Sound Four's next member, Kidomaru. Until next time! **


	41. Dog vs Spider: Kidomaru Appears

**Had my English test today... Easy as pie, but it's History, Chinese, Maths and Science next. Damn. **

**I've also updated my profile, so if you still have fucks left to give, you can check it out.**

**Now here's the deal about Sakura and Kiba vs Kidomaru... I really have no idea how I'm going to have them fight. I'm just going to have my brain move my fingers, like I do every chapter. Apologies if the outcome is not one you desire. **

_**Rain Dove**_**: It seems my story is finally fit for getting into your list of Favorites. ;) **

_**Hanna Lee**_**: Thank you! Yes, action is my favorite thing to write :) **

_**Yomi**_**: It's Kidomaru! :P and we will see. **

_**Charrmed**_**: Same here! **

**Thanks to _S.R.457, Rain Dove, Hanna Lee, Yomi, Bulma3678, Charrmed, The True Not Important, tamu, WaterDrop_ and _BlueBird sama _for the reviews!**

* * *

"Backtrack? I don't think so."

"What the fu-"

Kiba was silenced as he felt pain shooting through his back. Sakura jumped away in time, and looked on in shock as the multiple-armed teen they had been spying on earlier withdrew his golden dagger-like weapon from Kiba's back.

"Arf!" Akamaru barked in horror.

"You're next," Kidomaru smirked, as Kiba collapsed.

"Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu."

Sakura attacked, but Kidomaru simply jumped away. Now with eight gold daggers in his eight hands, the spider-resembling shinobi threw them at Sakura.

The Chunin easily punched away the weapons with her stone fists.

"An Earth Style user, eh," Kidomaru mused. "Looks like this will be a difficult round."

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon!"

Sakura summoned a dragon of mud that rose from the ground, and attacked Kidomaru, who dodged the attack with ease.

"Is that all you got?" He taunted.

Sakura looked back to Kiba, who was clutching onto his wound with a look of pained agony on his face. Akamaru was barking profusely beside his owner.

Suddenly, the dog rushed to Sakura's side, turning into Kiba and attacking Kidomaru.

It didn't take a genius to know the dog was attempting to stall for time. Rushing over to Kiba, Sakura quickly treated his wound as much as she could. She was no medical expert, but a first-aid kit and some bandages she'd brought along helped.

Akamaru, in the form of Kiba, was brutally assaulted. The ninken was soon thrown onto the ground in just three minutes and reverted back into dog form.

Kidomaru laughed. "Was difficulty set to easy?!" He waved his gold daggers in front of his face threateningly. "I won't even need anything other than these to kill you all."

Sakura helped Kiba up and brought Akamaru back to his owner quickly.

"Akamaru..." Kiba smiled, petting his loyal ninken.

"Oi! Are you listening?!" Kidomaru growled. "Time to kick start the game again!" He rushed towards Sakura.

Channeling chakra towards her hands, Sakura's fists were covered by stone again. The pinkette engaged Kidomaru, and after blocking every single strike, gave the Oto-nin a powerful punch to the chest.

"D-Damn..." Kiba muttered to himself.

Crashing into a tree, Kidomaru got up quickly.

"Well, I probably underestimated you a little..." He chuckled evilly.

Her hands going back to normal, Sakura did the required hand seals. "Earth Style: Landslide."

Kidomaru frowned as dirt and mud from the ground rose up to attack him. "Ninja Art: Spider Web Net." Breathing in, Kidomaru then spat out a huge web that acted as a shield.

The mud and dirt slammed into the web, and vanished.

"Is that guy a human spider or something?" Kiba shook his head. He tried to get up, but when he felt a stinging pain in his wound, decided to rest for a bit more.

"Ninja Art: Spider Web Flower." Kidomaru began spitting smaller webs at Sakura, in an attempt to catch the Leaf kunoichi in one of them.

To Kidomaru's frustration and surprise, Sakura managed to fight off the webbing with her stone fists.

He smiled creepily to himself. "This is getting interesting."

Beating off the last of the webs, Sakura charged at Kidomaru.

_If I have to defeat him before I can go back, then so be it. _She thought to herself, throwing a punch as she got in range. The agile Kidomaru managed to avoid the attack, jumping onto a tree branch.

"Ninja Art: Spiral Spider Web!" Kidomaru spat more webbing, but this time, it was another giant one.

Sakura tried to dodge the technique, but the size of the web was at her disadvantage, and she found the web soon pushing her into a tree and trapping her to it.

"Sakura!" Kiba yelled.

_Can't move,_ Sakura growled, as she tried to free herself from her binds.

* * *

"Hm...?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand hovered in mid-air, his gaze on the object he was about to grab onto. His brows furrowed into a frown.

A small crack had suddenly appeared on his cup of tea.

_What is this feeling? _The Hokage found this worrying. It was a bad omen. Asuma had told him not to believe in these kind of things, but still, the feeling was making him worry.

_I can't ignore it. _

There was a few knocks on the door.

"Come in," Hiruzen said, placing his hand down. "Oh, it's you."

The one in particular walked up to the Hokage's desk and bowed respectfully.

"Good morning, um, Hokage-sama. I am... er, here for my next mission."

Hiruzen quickly nodded, his attention going back to the crack in his cup.

"It's a bit of a tough mission... but I've got one for you."

* * *

"Let's see how fast I can dispose of both of you," Kidomaru grinned madly.

A small golden blade emerged from Kidomaru's mouth.

Sakura's eyes widened, realizing the Oto-nin was taking his aim at her. She struggled wildly, but failed to break free of the webbing.

_Are these webs... all infused with chakra? Is that why I can't get out? _

"Puaaa!" Kidomaru spat, sending the golden blade towards his target.

_This is it..._ Sakura closed her eyes. _  
_

"What?!" Kidomaru growled.

The blade was dangling in front of Sakura's face. The pinkette's eyes flew open, to see Kiba's entire body was in the air, and his hand was reached down to grab the golden blade.

"How did you move so fast?" Kidomaru questioned in anger, as Kiba dropped onto the ground.

"Never underestimate the agility of an Inuzuka!" Kiba smirked. "I'm going to pay you back for that little wound you gave me earlier! Ready, Akamaru?" He popped a Food Pill into his ninken's mouth, and then swallowed one of his own.

"Arf!"

"Tsk," Kidomaru spat out a golden blade again, a longer one this time. "Let's see what you've got, mutt!"

"Man Beast Clone!" Akamaru transformed into Kiba, like he did before. "Ninja Art Beast Mimicry: All Fours Jutsu!" Both Kiba and Aka-Kiba dropped onto their four legs, their facial expressions twisted to resemble wild, savage beasts.

"Are you trying to mimic your dog, and vice versa?" Kidomaru threw his head back in laughter. "I can say, it's working! Although the dog needs a bit of improvement, but-"

"Man Beast Ultimate Taijutsu!" Kiba and Akamaru both started spinning at incredible speeds towards Kidomaru, and the eight-armed teen was taken aback. "Fang Over Fang!"

Kiba and Akamaru smashed into Kidomaru, and Sakura winced at the sight.

"How's that?" Kiba challenged, as Akamaru went back to sitting on his head.

"Not bad."

Kiba frowned.

Kidomaru got back up, seemingly unharmed. His skin turned into gold, and fell off piece by piece, to reveal another Kidomaru underneath.

"What the hell's that?"

_Some kind of... armor? _Sakura stared at Kidomaru.

"Looks like you're not as weak as I thought you were," Kidomaru smirked. Black marks began covering his face and skin, and Sakura gasped at the realization that their opponents possessed a Cursed Seal.

Quickly bounding over to Sakura, Kiba tried to get his partner out of the webbing.

"You won't have any time to be paying attention to anything other than me!" Kidomaru roared, charging forward.

"Darn it," Kiba leaped away as Kidomaru attacked with one of his golden blades. _One thing's for sure, if I get myself caught like Sakura, we're finished! _

Thankfully, Kidomaru seemed content sticking to his golden weapons for now.

"Kiba!" Sakura called. "Be careful! Those black marks on his face increases his physical abilities!"

"Looks like you know about the Cursed Seal, pinky," Kidomaru grinned.

"Physical abilities?" Kiba stared at his opponent. _  
_

He got his answer as Kidomaru was soon above him. Akamaru barked out a warning, and Kiba jumped away before Kidomaru could attack.

"We can't keep on dodging like this!" Gritting his teeth, Kiba started spinning towards Kidomaru. "Tunneling Fang!"

Dodging Kiba's attack easily, Kidomaru threw his blade.

"Watch out!" Sakura yelled.

Kiba side-stepped, but the blade managed to scratch his hip.

"Arf! Arf!" Akamaru sounded urgently.

"This is nothing, Akamaru!" Kiba said confidently, clutching the small scar he'd newly gained. _Looks like we'll have to do something to weaken him before engaging him in close combat. Let's see... aha! _

Kidomaru lunged for Kiba, not giving the boy any time to think.

Reacting quickly, Kiba tried to kick Kidomaru away, but the spider-like shinobi grabbed onto his leg and flung him away.

"Now, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, while in mid-air. His dog partner leaped towards Kidomaru from his position on Kiba's head. "Dynamic Marking!" Kiba shrieked, twisting in mid-air to land on his feet.

Akamaru spun around in the air, releasing urine.

Kidomaru frowned, expecting a stronger attack, but then found out what Akamaru's urine could do as some got into his eyes, rendering him blind.

"What is this?!" The spider nin roared in anger. "I can't see!"

"Nice job, Akamaru!" Kiba smirked as Akamaru returned to him. With a battle cry, the Inuzuka Genin got on his four legs. "All Fours Jutsu!"

"Tch," Kidomaru whipped his head left and right, anticipating an attack.

It came in the form of a kick to the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. Before he knew it, Kidomaru was hauled up.

With a threatening snarl, Kiba started clawing brutally at Kidomaru's chest with his sharp nails gained from using his clan's technique. Soon, Kidomaru's shirt was in tatters, and Kiba ripped it off completely, revealing his opponent's bloodied body.

Knocking Kidomaru off his feet, Kiba crouched over the Oto nin with a threatening pose, like a predator about to finish off it's prey.

Feeling the webbing around her starting to somehow soften, Sakura attempted to tear them off, but to no avail.

Getting an idea, she steadily concentrated on channeling chakra through her hands. Sakura then tried tearing the webbing off again, and this time it worked.

_Looks like this webbing can only be tore by chakra,_ Sakura thought.

"Looks like it's over for you," Kiba smiled, as he felt the effects of his All Fours Jutsu fading away. Getting out a kunai, he positioned it at Kidomaru's throat.

"Hm. Maybe. Maybe not," Kidomaru retorted with an evil smile of his own.

"Kiba... don't let your guard down." Sakura warned.

"I'm not doing that. That's why I'm killing this guy right here and now!" Kiba proceeded to slice Kidomaru's throat after a slight hesitation. It was going to be his first kill, after all.

"Ninja Art: Spider Web Flower!"

"Wha-!" A web from Kidomaru's mouth attached itself to Kiba's face, blinding him. Taking advantage of his distraction, Kidomaru knocked away his kunai.

"Kiba!" Sakura jumped in, her right fist quickly being encased in stone.

Kiba muttered an inaudible swear word. "I can't get this off my face!" His muffled voice came. Akamaru tried biting off the web, but to no avail.

"Looks like dog boy's going to be out for awhile," Kidomaru laughed, ducking from Sakura's stone fist. He jumped into the air. "Ninja Art: Spider Web Flower!"

Sakura destroyed the webs with her stone fist, and made a few hand seals. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon!"

It was pointless. Without Akamaru's Dynamic Marking, Kidomaru dodged every attack thrown at him with ease.

"Akamaru!" Sakura called to the ninken, who scampered over. "Can you use Dynamic Marking on him like you did earlier?"

"Arf!" Akamaru barked in confirmation, and leaped into the air, spinning and urinating on the Sound ninja.

"This again?!" Kidomaru tried to shield himself, but urine got into his eyes like before.

"Earth Style: Landslide!"

Being unable to detect where the attack would be coming from, Kidomaru was blasted by the technique, and was buried underneath the dirt. Sakura nodded in satisfaction.

_He won't be able to get out of there. _

She ran over to Kiba, who was on the ground struggling to get off his new facial mask.

Channeling chakra into her hands like before, Sakura managed to get rid of the webbing, and Kiba sat up, his expression one of relief.

"Do you bastards think you've actually won?"

Sakura's head snapped over to the landslide she'd created.

There was a muffled roar.

"Round two, huh?" Kiba got up, glaring at the pile of dirt.

Suddenly, from the top of the pile, Kidomaru burst out. His eyes were still covered in Akamaru's yellowish urine, but he now had a third eye on his forehead, at the spot where his Sound forehead protector was before.

But that wasn't the only different thing about the two Leaf ninjas' opponent.

His hair had grown white, and his skin was now entirely dark red. There were also newly-gained horns on his head, shoulders and elbows.

"Let's continue." Kidomaru smirked.

* * *

**Finally done with this. Hopefully you enjoyed the battle. In the next chapter, Kiba and Sakura face off against Kidomaru and stage two of the Cursed Seal. Will they be defeated, or will they succeed? Who was the one talking to the Sandaime? See you in the next chapter. **

**Another question to end off today: Who's your favorite Konoha character? **

**Mine has to be Shikamaru. ;) **


	42. Touch of a Hyuga: Spider Extermination

**Chinese was bloody hard. Sometimes, I seriously wonder if I'm Chinese... really. My Chinese is worst than a British man. **

_**tamu**_**: That's very nice to know! :) Thank you**

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: Thank you for the epic review. I'll be thinking about that 'other Jinchuriki' thing. Hmm... Anyway, Tenzo/Yamato was in the village during the invasion. Read carefully ;) Shisui is dead in this fic, like in canon, but he WILL be crucial to the story later, I promise. Much much later. **

_**Charrmed**_**: Enlighten me - who is Kabito? :P **

_**zarethuzumi**_**: Yes, Sasuke works. :D **

**Thanks to _tamu, S.R.457, Hachibi8tails, Charrmed, Hanna Lee, zarethuzumi_ and _The True Not Important _for the reviews!  
**

* * *

"Let's continue."

"D-D-Damn..." Kiba backed away.

"Let's see you dodge this one," Kidomaru jumped into the air and spewed a web that he stuck his feet on to, to remain hanging in the air. As Kiba and Sakura wondered what their enemy was up to, he bit his thumb. "Summoning Jutsu!"

"A summoning?" Sakura gasped.

"Kyodaigumo!"

A gigantic spider appeared beside Kidomaru.

Sakura shuddered.

"Do it!" Kidomaru nodded.

Kyodaigumo released an egg sac onto Kidomaru's hand. The young Sound nin spat out one of his golden blades.

Upon closer inspection, Kiba realized the egg sac was full of small little spiders.

"Crap," he stepped back. "Run!"

"Too late!" Kidomaru shrieked, cutting the egg sac open.

Sakura's eyes widened as she took in the sight of at least thirty little spiders descending on them.

"Game over!" She heard Kidomaru cackle from above.

The spiders began shooting webbing.

"Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu!"

Kidomaru growled. "I forgot about that pinky's jutsu!"

Each web shot at Sakura were quickly punched away, but Kiba wasn't so lucky. He was soon knocked down to the ground and covered in webbing from head to toe. The little spiders, upon completion of their work, scurried away.

Kyodaigumo pounced onto Sakura, attacking her with it's eight legs.

"Hmph," Kidomaru smirked. "Kyodaigumo will finish up here. I'd better see if Jirobo is done..."

Then, the spider summoner frowned as Sakura turned into a log. An explosive tag was stuck onto it.

Two seconds later came the boom, and Kyodaigumo's body exploded into a rain of webbing.

Sakura emerged from behind a tree with a grin.

"Sakura! Get me out of here!" Kiba complained.

_She took out Kyodaigumo with just one try!_ The spider nin thought.

"Looks like it's time for me to bring out my... ultimate attack," Kidomaru cackled. "Spider Bow!" He spat out a bow, golden like the rest of his blades. "Now... well and truly... game over!"

He pulled an arrow back, aiming towards Kiba.

"Kiba!" Sakura's grin disappeared, and she rushed forward.

"Die!" Kidomaru released his grip, and the arrow shot forward.

"Earth Style: Terra Shield!" Sakura jumped in front of Kiba, her shield wall rising up just in time.

Instead of getting frustrated, Kidomaru's lips turned into a twisted grin. He leaped to another tree for a different angle, and shot another arrow.

"Earth Style: Terra Shield!" The wall came up again, blocking Kidomaru's attack.

"Heh... I probably underestimated you a little," Kidomaru wiped the sweat off his face. Once again, he jumped onto a different tree, and released an arrow once more.

"Earth Style: Terra Shield!" _Is this never going to end? _

Descending from the trees, Kidomaru charged forward, shooting an arrow as he did so.

"Earth Style: Terra Shield!"

With an evil smile on his face, Kidomaru tossed his bow and arrows aside, and leaped towards Sakura. The pinkette realized he had eight golden blades in each hand.

She tried to defend herself, but was lost to the constant slashing and cutting of the blades.

Kidomaru executed one final blow, and Sakura fell onto the ground, her arms filled with blood and scars.

Kiba could tell something was happening. He wriggled furiously. Akamaru, on his shoulder, was covered in the web cocoon as well.

Sakura got up again, although visibly weakened. _My chakra... __  
_

"Don't try to continue," Kidomaru laughed, picking up his bow and arrows. Aiming them at Sakura, he continued, "I can tell you have little chakra left... use anymore jutsu and you'll die, but..." He released his grip on the bow string, the arrow charging forth. "... if you want to die quickly, I can help you!"

_So that's what he was trying to do,_ Sakura thought. _Through shooting the arrows and forcing me to use the Terra Shield, he was indirectly draining my already-low chakra. _

She couldn't find any energy to move.

The sound of a sickening crunch followed.

* * *

Moving through one of the forests of the Land of Fire, was one Hinata Hyuga.

She was mentally cursing her luck. She'd finally managed to get rid of her stammering, although there was the occasional stutter now and then - and what does the Hokage do? He sends her on a mission to back up Naruto. Naruto, the boy she'd been obsessing over for... how long now?

Hinata couldn't remember, but she decided to focus on the mission at hand now.

Her last mission had been a relatively simple D-Rank. Hinata didn't normally do missions without her teammates, but the invasion demanded the use of as little ninja as possible for one mission.

The Hokage had explained the details to her. Sasuke Uchiha had been taken away from the village, and Naruto had led a squad to rescue him. Hinata was to provide back up.

"Here should be good." Hinata placed her hands in a seal. "Byakugan!"

* * *

"She stopped it," Kidomaru growled to himself.

Indeed, Sakura's right fist had turned into stone, and was gripping tightly onto Kidomaru's golden arrow. She wasn't quick enough to stop it from piercing her chest, but at least it wasn't too deep and fatal.

Still, it hurt. Sakura winced as she slowly pulled the now blood-tipped arrow out, and dropped it onto the ground.

Her stone fist reverted back to normal, and Sakura finally collapsed, with her chakra levels at a near zero state.

She had managed to defend against the enemy's last attack, but from now on Sakura was completely defenseless.

The wound in her chest wasn't doing much to help her chakra exhaustion either.

"You have had way too many lucky chances, pinky," Kidomaru pulled an arrow back, readying his final strike. "But now... it's really... game over!"

"Sakura!" Kiba yelled. He knew something was happening to her, and felt angered that he couldn't help. "All-Fours Jutsu!" His fingers turning into practical claws, Kiba tried to slash through the webbing, a last resort.

"Game... over!" Kidomaru repeated, releasing the bow string.

His eyes widened as his arrow shattered into pieces.

Hinata smiled in relief, as she withdrew her hand, landing with the broken pieces of the arrow.

"B-Broke my arrow?! But how?"

Assuming the Gentle Fist stance, Hinata activated her Byakugan.

"S-Sakura-san, Kiba-kun... are you guys a-alright?"

Sakura didn't answer, instead panting heavily.

"Hinata!" Kiba said gleefully. His hands finally made it out, his chakra-tipped claws allowing him to slash through the webbing. Getting rid of the remaining web surrounding his body, Kiba's jaw dropped at the sight of Sakura on the ground, barely conscious.

"Another stupid Leaf nin..." Kidomaru complained.

Kiba rushed over to Sakura.

Hinata looked back. "Sakura-san's chakra levels a-are... dangerously low... and she has a wound on her chest too. W-We need to bandage up that wound or..."

"I got it!" Kiba dug into Sakura's tool bag, finding the bandages.

Hinata charged at the arrow wielder. With a snarl, Kidomaru shot one arrow, but Hinata dodged with ease.

"Wait a minute," Kiba frowned. "The wound is at her chest! But..." He blushed in embarrassment as Akamaru barked in amusement. "Gah, this is no time to be feeling embarrassed about something like this."

"Haa!" Hinata struck. Kidomaru side-stepped, but her next attack came quickly. The spider nin was finding it increasingly difficult to dodge the attacks of the Hyuga heiress.

On Sakura's side, Kiba was slowly unzipping her pink shirt. His blush remained, as he quickly stopped the zipper after seeing the wound.

All embarrassed thoughts faded away as he laid eyes on the bloodied wound. Swiftly, Kiba got to work.

"Palm Heel Strike!" Hinata finally got her target, after several attempted blows. Kidomaru felt blood rising in his throat as he was knocked back. Coughing out the red liquid, he gripped onto his chest.

"What... is this?!"

His answer was several strikes to the body.

"8 Trigrams 32 Palms!"

Kidomaru coughed out more blood as he crashed into a tree.

_I have not perfected this attack yet,_ Hinata walked up to her opponent. _But seems like it works already. _

"W-Wow..." Kiba muttered. "She took out the opponent we couldn't in just a few strikes!" Then, his attention quickly went back to Sakura's bandaged wound. Quickly, he zipped up the Chunin's pink shirt before his hormones could get any funny ideas.

Kidomaru laid on the ground, blood spilling from his lips.

"Did you get him?!" Kiba called.

Turning back, Hinata smiled and nodded.

Her answer was apparently wrong, as Kidomaru was quickly on his feet.

"Hinata, watch out!" Kiba ran forward. "Tunneling Fang!" He rammed into a log, halving it into two.

Kidomaru reappeared behind Hinata, and before the Hyuga could do anything, positioned a kunai at her throat.

"Substitution..." Kiba growled.

Hinata gulped.

"You caused me a lot of trouble, you little bitch," Kidomaru swore. "I can't feel my chakra anymore. What did you do to it?"

"She isn't obliged to tell you anything, bastard!" Kiba answered for his teammate, but Kidomaru silenced him by pressing the kunai harder on Hinata's throat, making her cough.

"You caught me off guard, you cheater," Kidomaru had a crazy smile on his face. "For that, I'll kill you."

"You'd better not!" Kiba said in alarm. He moved towards Hinata and Kidomaru, but knew he would be too late.

Kidomaru stopped, dropping his kunai, a pained expression on his face. Hinata pushed him away quickly, to see Akamaru biting furiously onto his butt.

"Nice job, Akamaru!" Kiba cheered.

"Grr..." Kidomaru fell onto his butt. _I can't use any of my jutsu... _

"It's time we finished you off."

"Don't think it's over!" The three-eyed teen panted. Now armed with eight kunai in each arm, Kidomaru lunged for Kiba. "I'll just have to kill all of you without using any jutsu!"

"You still think it'll work?" Kiba chuckled. "Fine, we'll show you our technique! Hinata, you stay back! I can handle this guy now he can't use his jutsu!"

"Right, Kiba-kun..."

"Cocky bastard!" Kidomaru thrust four arms forward as he got close. "You'll regret that!"

"Heh!" Kiba ducked, and grabbed Kidomaru's eight arms. "Now, Akamaru! Dynamic Marking!"

Kidomaru found Akamaru peeing all over him again. An annoyed roar ensued. Kiba jumped into the air beside Akamaru.

"Man Beast Transformation Combo: Two-Headed Wolf!"

Kiba and Akamaru merged to form a two-headed wolf dog creature, with similar features to Akamaru. Hinata watched in awe while Kidomaru watched on in fear.

"Wolf Fang Over Fang!"

That was the last human voice Kidomaru managed to register. A sharp pain in his chest followed, and suddenly all was black.

* * *

"Neji! Are we close?"

Neji nodded. "Yes, very."

Shino looked back to his team. "Do you remember the plan?"

"Yeah," Naruto confirmed.

"Yes!" Neji replied.

"Yosh! Forward!" Lee shrieked.

"Be quiet, Bushy Brows!" Naruto warned.

"Naruto is right," Neji frowned. "The plan can't be executed if we get caught."

"Sorry!" Lee apologized sheepishly.

"Alright," Naruto jumped to the front of the group. "Let's do this."

* * *

**Sorry for the... rather abrupt end to the Kidomaru battle. I seriously wanted to lengthen it - but if you think about it, if you get hit by a Hyuga, your defeat is sealed. Unless, of course, you are Naruto. **

**And yes, it was Hinata! Many people were talking about Hinata so I decided to bring her into this arc... somehow. Surprise, surprise. **

**In the next chapter, it is Team Naruto's turn to shine. ;) See you all then. **

**A question to end off today: Favorite Naruto pairing of all time? **

**Leave your interesting responses in the reviews. **


	43. Fighter's Duty: Power of Youth!

**_Team Itachi _is now officially my most popular story review-wise. A big shoutout to 250th reviewer _S.R.457_ and a HUGE shoutout to my 255th and 256th reviewers _Rain Dove _and _Charrmed_. What was my former most popular story _Pokemon Johto _has been left behind in the dust at 255 reviews. Thank you all! **_  
_

** Finished with Science, and the last paper is Maths tomorrow. Yipee. **

**I feel I definitely could have written the last chapter a lot better, despite what readers are saying about how it's good and all. But I can't be bothered to go back and rewrite it after all the hours I put in it, so...**

**Yeah, I'm lazy. Sue me.**

_**imsabbel**_**: She could, trust me. **

_**Guest**_**: I'm a Sakura person. Just love her. And yes, you're right about Jiraiya/Tsunade, but something about old people getting into relationships just turn me off... Thank you for the great review! **

**_Rain Dove_: Seeing YOU say there's nothing wrong with the chapter relieves me. I'm a NaruSaku fan and as a result, not really the NaruHina type, if you couldn't tell from my profile. Once again, thanks so bloody much for the epic reviews. **

_**Charrmed**_**: My thoughts on Naruto/Sakura exactly! :) and why would Kabuto stop Sasuke from going to Orochimaru? Yes, I was being sarcastic, because you spelt it as 'Kabito' :P**

_**Corpj123**_**: Damn you :P **

_**tamu**_**: Yes, Kimimaro will show up. And everyone is entitled to their own opinions :) **

**Thanks to _imsabbel, S.R.457, Aurora-chan, Guest, WaterDrop, Rain Dove, Charrmed, The True Not Important, Corpj123 _and _tamu_ for the reviews!**

* * *

Tayuya and Sakon moved through the forest, with Sakon carrying the container on his back.

He had not bothered to attempt sensing anymore chakra signatures behind them, confident that his teammates had dealt with the pursuers.

"Oi," Tayuya started. "I'm tired as fuck. Let's take a break."

"You aren't the one carrying this damned thing," Sakon glared at her.

"Fuck off."

Sakon sighed. "Fine, a break it is." The Sound duo stopped, and descended from the trees to the ground. Placing the container down, Sakon leaned against it, looking up into the sky. "We should be getting to Orochimaru-sama by nightfall."

"You aren't getting to anywhere!"

"What?" Sakon turned around.

The Sound shinobi were now being surrounded by four Leaf ninja.

"Looks like we caught up," Neji smirked.

"Yeah," Naruto grinned.

Growling, Tayuya was soon up on her feet. "I knew we shouldn't have left those fuckers behind. Just when I wanted to take a break too." She got out her flute.

"Let's just deal with them first," said Sakon, still leaning against the container. "None of them look like threats."

"Don't underestimate us, you bastard!" Naruto jumped in first, but Sakon was fast. It only took two seconds for the silver-haired ninja to get up on his feet and aim a kick at Naruto, one that the blonde Chunin dodged.

"Demon Flute: Chains of Fantasia!" Tayuya smirked as she began playing her flute.

Immediately, the four Konoha ninjas stood paralyzed.

"That was surprisingly quick," Sakon blinked. "I was looking forward to a real fight."

"Fuck that." Tayuya pocketed her flute. "Shall I kill them?"

"No, we shouldn't waste any time." Sakon strapped the container onto his back once more. "Let's go."

Suddenly, Neji, Lee and Shino transformed into Naruto.

"What?!" Sakon backed away, as all four Narutos glared at them, then disappeared in a huge puff of smoke.

"Wind Style: Razor Wind!"

Sakon jumped to the side, as did Tayuya. The attack slashed through a tree instead, and the giant plant came crashing down to the forest floor.

"Haaaa!"

Tayuya looked up, to see the blonde Leaf ninja diving towards them from a tree branch.

"Tsk!" The Oto kunoichi jumped back as Naruto landed.

"Hm?" Detecting another presence, Sakon spun around, just in time to avoid getting hit by Neji's Gentle Fist strike. Lee leaped out from his position in the bushes, while Shino jumped down from a tree.

_I see... so it was a combination of the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Transformation Jutsu that they used earlier,_ Sakon frowned. _It was to learn what they could of our fighting style! _

"Where is Sasuke?" Naruto screamed in their faces.

"Fuck off, brat!" Tayuya snapped.

Not saying another word, Sakon turned and hopped into the trees.

"Naruto-kun!" Lee turned to the team captain, uttering out a warning.

"That container... it must contain Sasuke," Shino deduced.

"We need to keep chasing after that guy!" Naruto yelled, trying to run forward, but Tayuya stopped him with a kick to the face. "Damn it..." The blonde Chunin wiped the dirt off his face and glared at Tayuya.

"Before you get to Sakon, you will be dealing with me," she declared with a smug smile. "And I will kill every single one of you within five minutes."

"If that's what it takes, I'll kill you!" Naruto shrieked, releasing some uncharacteristic killing intent.

Unfazed, Tayuya got into a battle stance. "Impress me, fuckers."

Naruto was about to jump in, to give Tayuya the biggest beating of her life, but Lee stopped him before he could do anything. Confused, the Jinchuriki glanced up at his teammate, who shot him a grin.

"I am the fighter of the team! That means I must take care of every unnecessary distraction!" Lee got into the stance of the Strong Fist. "That is what you told us when you formed this team, Naruto-kun!"

"Bushy Brows..." Naruto started, now knowing where this conversation was heading.

"We must get Sasuke-kun back!" The spandex-wearing Genin stated. "I will take care of this one. You guys go on ahead and rescue Sasuke-kun with your Flames of Youth!"

"Lee..." Neji smirked at his teammate. "Catch up with us later, alright?"

"Alright!" Naruto turned to Neji and Shino. "Let's go on ahead." He placed a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Good luck, Bushy Brows... I think you'll need it."

"Don't worry about me, Naruto-kun. Burst forth! Youth!" Lee screamed into the air enthusiastically.

Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and quickly jumped into the trees, Neji and Shino following soon after.

Tayuya tried to stop the three, but Lee quickly engaged his opponent. The Green Beast flashed to her side in an instant, kicking her to the ground with a loud roar.

* * *

"Kiba-kun, are you okay?"

Kiba looked up at Hinata and nodded. "Yeah, I'll live. I think I'll just need to get treated for this wound on my back."

Nodding, Hinata knelt down to look at Sakura. "Then let's rush S-Sakura-san back to Konoha right away."

Kiba wanted to say he had to back Naruto's team up, but felt the wounds all over his body and decided to return to the village as well. He nodded towards Hinata and the two took off, with Kiba having Sakura on his back.

"Say, Hinata, why don't I take Sakura back to Konoha and you go after Naruto's team?" Kiba suggested. "They'll need someone to back them up."

Hinata shook her head with a sigh. "I can't e-even see them with my Byakugan anymore. They've gone too far ahead."

"Damn, they're fast," Kiba commented.

"S-So, that ninja we were fighting? He's dead?"

"Ah, yeah, I think I killed him."

_Naruto, you guys better be fine and come back to the village with Sasuke. We're counting on you. _

* * *

"You seem to be the weirdest fucker out of them all," Tayuya grunted, picking herself up. "I'll just kill you and then get to the rest when I'm done here."

Lee said nothing, his reply being a run forward to attack Tayuya once more.

She took out her flute again, but Lee kicked the instrument out of her hands.

"Why, you...!"

Responding to her words with another kick to her stomach, Lee smiled. "We were watching you when you battled Naruto-kun's Shadow Clones! Your primary weapon is the flute, and you use genjutsu! That's why..." He ran towards Tayuya again. "... I won't be letting you touch that flute! Haaa!"

"Bastard," Tayuya growled, dodging an attempted kick.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee dealt a roundhouse kick to Tayuya, who attempted to block it with her arms, but only ended up getting thrown back by the impact.

Tayuya jumped forward, trying to retrieve her flute.

"Dynamic Entry!"

She felt a strong foot smashing into her cheek.

Biting her lip to prevent herself from crying out in pain, Tayuya got back up and shot Lee a hateful look.

"I told you!" Lee charged. "I will be using all of my youth power to prevent you from touching that flute!"

"Tch," Tayuya tried to dodge, but Lee was quick. She didn't even see the first punch land, but suddenly, Tayuya found herself crashing into a tree.

"I expected you to put up a better fight, enemy-san!"

_Enemy-san?_ Tayuya literally face-palmed herself. _What is up with this fucker?! _

Suddenly, Lee was in mid-air right in front of her. She dived to the side, just as the bowl-haired boy sank his fist into the tree trunk.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Tayuya raced to grab her flute.

"Dynamic Entry!"

A foot slammed into her neck, tossing her forward.

The flute was just a meter away.

Ignoring the fact that her opponent had used that ridiculous Dynamic Entry move on her successfully in two consecutive tries, Tayuya scrambled to her feet and dived towards her weapon.

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!"

_Gotcha!_ Tayuya thought, as her hands closed around the instrument. A second later she found herself being kicked continuously and being flung into the air.

_She reached the flute! _Lee frowned.

Doing a perfect somersault in mid-air to land on her feet, Tayuya quickly brought the flute to her lips.

Lee appeared behind her. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, enemy-san!"

"The fuck?" Tayuya turned around, but Lee had vanished. Her head snapped back to the front.

"Dynamic Entry!"

Tayuya was sent rocketing back.

_Three times in a row now, and it's in my face this time. I'm going to skin the bastard! _

Anger evident in her expression, Tayuya jumped to her feet, trying to ignore the pain in her face and body, and prepared to play her melody.

Lee charged towards his opponent again.

But for once, he was too late. With just half a meter distancing the two enemies, Tayuya managed to play her flute.

"Demon Flute: Chains of Fantasia."

Lee's surroundings turned into a world of red as the music worked their magic.

The taijutsu specialist felt his arms being held up in the air against his will. His eyes widened as the flesh started to literally melt in front of his eyes.

Pain soon sank in. Unbearable pain. Lee screamed in terror.

_This is a genjutsu!_ Lee reminded himself. His eyes shut tight due to the pain, he forced them open and tried to form an imaginary hand seal with imaginary hands.

"Power... of... Youth!" He roared, praying that it would work. "Release!"

Tayuya blinked.

Lee found his arms returning to him.

_Releasing the genjutsu with... 'imaginary hands'... _Tayuya scowled. _No one has ever done that before! _

"It appears my youth has shone!" Lee announced.

"Don't think it's over, fuck-freak," Tayuya growled.

Ignoring his opponent's insults once again, Lee flashed behind her and threw his fist forward. Tayuya caught it, and tried to knock Lee back, but he flashed behind her again and kicked her in the butt.

Tayuya was incensed.

"You asked for it!" The kunoichi growled. "Summoning Jutsu!" After going through the necessary rituals, she slammed her palm on the ground. "Doki!"

"Doki...?" Lee gave his opponent a questioning look.

Three hideous-looking giants appeared in front of Tayuya.

"Ah, so that is a Doki!" Lee smiled. "They look youthful indeed!"

Tayuya blinked. _Isn't this guy... isn't this guy scared at all?! _

"I'll show you what they can do!" Tayuya started playing her flute, and the three demons leaped forward. "Demon Flute: Trio Requiem!"

"Ah, so you are using your flute to control these youthful beasts!"

The first one of the trio, the long-haired ghostly-looking giant attacked with his club, crushing a tree as Lee zipped past.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

And with that, the club-wielding giant collapsed.

"Unfortunately for you, I am also a youthful beast!"

"Tch." Tayuya continued her flute playing. The giant that'd fallen got back up on it's feet.

"I am amazed by it's youthfulness!" Lee nodded, dramatic tears falling down his face.

Tayuya growled.

Two of the demons, save for the club-wielding one, attacked next. Lee jumped up to attack one of the two, but missed. The bare-chested demon of the trio roared and swiped towards the Green Beast, but missed as well.

"Looks like it's time to take these off!" Lee reached into his shoes, pulling out weights.

Tayuya smirked.

"You think you can beat my Doki just my removing some leg weights?!" The bandaged one charged to strike Lee. "You thought wrong, dumb ass! Take this, fucker!"

With a smirk, Lee tossed the first of his weights at that particular Doki.

Tayuya's jaw dropped as the weights slammed into said Doki's chest and exploded, sending the bandaged giant flying and crashing into a tree. Lee reached down for the last weight, and flung it at the club-wielding Doki, sending it crashing into another tree.

Before Tayuya could react, she felt a foot ramming into her face, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Grabbing her flute, Tayuya began playing a tune again, and the remaining Doki, the bare-chested ogre, began thumping it's chest and spewing weird white things that possessed mouths.

"Ninth Passage: Demon Revolution."

"What are these unyouthful white objects?" Lee questioned. One shot towards him, and he sped away, dodging easily.

Getting up, Tayuya closed her eyes, focusing. Black marks began spreading, covering her body and face.

Lee continued dodging the white spirits with little effort.

_To stop these, I must attack the one responsible for using the technique! _

Lee sped behind Tayuya, but the bare-chested Doki attacked before he could do anything to the redhead.

"You may have the upper hand in terms of ability," Tayuya smirked. "But if you can't hit your opponent, it doesn't matter how good you are." She positioned her flute to her mouth. "If one of those things hit you, you can kiss your fucking life goodbye."

Lee finally showed some form of fear. Tayuya enjoyed the fearful expression on her opponent's face as she started her flute playing. The Doki beside her jumped in to attack.

_If I defeat this youthful beast, these unyouthful flying spirits will probably go away! Alright! That is the plan!_ Lee punched the air as the Doki descended on him.

"Youth!" He screamed, dealing the Doki a flying kick to the chest.

Lee then allowed himself to fall to the ground as one of the spirits flew over him. Landing on his feet, he did a somersault, and another of the spirits swooped under him.

To a passing bystander, it would seem as if Lee was doing an acrobatic dance.

_I've had enough of this bastard. He should be dead already. Why isn't the Demon Revolution working on him?_ Tayuya glared in annoyance at her Konoha opponent.

Charging towards the Doki and dodging the spirits at the same time, Lee screamed, "Gate of Opening! Open!"

_What did he just do?_ Tayuya stared harder at Lee, but couldn't make out any physical changes. Then, she realized he was running a lot faster than before. _His speed levels... they're fucking crazy! _

"Hwaaayaah!" Lee hoisted himself up into the air so he could aim a kick at the Doki's chin.

As soon as he did so, the Doki went flying into the air.

Wrapping the giant up in his wrist bandages, Lee appeared behind him, and summoned all his strength to turn the much heavier Doki upside down.

The two began spinning at lightning speed.

A gasp rose in Tayuya's throat as Lee slammed her summoning into the ground.

"Primary Lotus!"

* * *

**And that's the end of it. No, not the battle, the chapter. ;) **

**Question for the end of the chapter: Team 8 or Team 10? **

**Definitely Team 10 for me. Just love the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, and it helps that my all-time favorite character is Shikamaru. **

**In the next chapter, Lee and Tayuya resume their fight - The Eight Gates vs the Cursed Seal! **


	44. Complications: Kimimaro's Arrival

**Saw a page asking haters to 'stop talking shit about Hinata' today. Fuck off. It's always Sakura who gets talked shit about. Everyone's like "Hinata is awesome" and "Sakura is useless". I like Hinata, like many other NaruSaku fans, but for some reason NaruHina fans hate Sakura with a passion. O_o **

**Just a small rant there. Seen too many anti-Sakura pro-Hinata pages for my liking. **

**My tests are over! As Kiba would say - wahooo! **

**My personal issues aside, _Team Itachi_ now has a bloody number of 270 reviews. :) Thank you all. **

_**Rain Dove**_**: I could add drunken Lee in, but I don't see how it would work. I didn't write that he brought sake along for the mission :P now that you mention it, Kiba doesn't seem like the type to give up, does he? :/ To be honest, I just needed an excuse to get them out of the picture for awhile, because I'm solely focusing on Team Naruto for now. Thank you for your epic review once again. **

_**hi1235**_**: Soon. As you might have guessed, he is appearing in this arc. **

_**Corpj123**_**: That is a good question, but I can't answer that ;) **

_**tamu**_**: I definitely will! **

_**WaterDrop**_**: What do you mean by 'secondary arcs'? All arcs are arcs, there are no primary or secondary ones. If you are talking about the anime-only arcs, I will probably only do the ones in Shippuden coz the anime-only arcs in the Part I of Naruto are just plain bullshit in my opinion. How far I plan to go with the story? I don't know. Haha! **

**Thanks to _Hachibi8tails, S.R.457, Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan, Rain Dove, Hanna Lee, Charrmed, hi1235, Corpj123, tamu, Pyr00tje_ and _WaterDrop _for the reviews!**

* * *

"So...?" Orochimaru asked.

"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said respectfully. "Kimimaro has agreed to check on the Four."

Orochimaru nodded and looked away.

_They should have been here an hour ago... The only thing keeping them would be... enemy ninja. _

_Well, whoever these enemies are, Kimimaro will take care of them. Hehe. _

* * *

Tayuya was thrown back by the impact.

_What power... This guy is no weirdo... he's the real deal... _

There was another puff of smoke, and Tayuya realized her Doki had disappeared. The flying spirits vanished.

"Looks like it worked!" Lee smiled, emerging from the smoke.

_He even defeated my Doki... _

A normal person would have retreated, but Tayuya was no normal person. She tried to play her flute again, but Lee was instantly in front of her, giving her a powerful kick in the face.

Collapsing and coughing out blood, Tayuya forced herself back up again. The black marks on her face began to merge, and she transformed into a demonic form. Lee studied his opponent with his interest as Tayuya grew horns and darkened skin.

"Ooh, you grew horns!" Lee observed, unable to resist hopping over to his opponent and poking her new horns.

Infuriated, Tayuya tried to sock Lee in the face, but in a moment he was gone.

Tayuya turned, expecting him to be behind, but her reward was a kick to her left cheek.

"Haaya!" Lee landed and threw a punch. Tayuya caught in and tried to punch the spandex-wearing ninja herself, but he ducked.

Jumping away, Tayuya grunted as she tried to formulate a battle plan.

She couldn't catch a break, with Lee in front of her a few seconds later.

With an almighty jump, Tayuya was up and away just two seconds before Lee's foot sank into the tree branch she was on.

Landing on her feet, Tayuya reached for her flute again, but Lee was quickly beneath her and kicked the flute out of her hands. "Leaf Hurricane!" He proceeded to attack his opponent, but Tayuya caught his foot.

Lee's eyes widened. _She managed to keep up with my youthful speed! _

With a smirk, Tayuya tightened her grip on Lee's foot and slammed him into the ground.

Recovering quickly, Lee was back on his feet and threw four consecutive punches, but Tayuya parried every single one.

Finally seeing an opening, Tayuya drew her fist back and then jerked it forward to give Lee the hardest punch in the face he'd ever received, sending him flying.

Landing on the ground, Lee brushed the dirt off his clothes.

_It seems what she did to herself increased her physical abilities and endurance, _he thought. _In that case... _

"Gate of Rest, open!"

Tayuya glared at her opponent. _What is he doing to himself? _

"Gate of Life, open!"

_I'll finish off the enemy in one shot! _

Tayuya stepped back as Lee's skin began to turn red, and massive amounts of chakra began to pour from his body.

"This should be enough," Lee remarked. "Now!"

Tayuya blinked once. Suddenly she was crashing through a tree. The pain of ten consecutive punches came rushing to her body, and she groaned in agony.

_His movements were so fast... I couldn't even see them! _

Suddenly, Tayuya felt herself being hauled up to her feet.

The next second she was being hurled into the air with a kick to her chin. Tayuya was instantly alert. _Is he going to use that Primary Lotus move on me? Fuck, fuck. _

Before she could react, bandages wrapped themselves around her body. "Fuck off!" She swore.

At an inhuman speed, Lee kicked Tayuya to the left, then advanced to the left and kicked Tayuya to the right. This continued on for half a minute, before he finally pulled his bloodied and bruised enemy towards him with the bandages connected to his wrist.

"Hidden Lotus!"

* * *

_They are gaining on me,_ Sakon frowned, looking back and seeing the three Leaf shinobi chasing after him. _At this rate... _

The Sound ninja stopped and dodged Naruto's sword just in time.

"Give me back my friend!"

Sakon smirked and kicked Naruto away.

'Naruto' disappeared, and another Naruto landed in front of Sakon and punched him in the face.

Sakon fell from the trees to the ground, but managed to steady himself halfway in mid-air to land on his feet. The punch was a hard one, as Sakon discovered when he felt blood leaking from his mouth.

Naruto, Shino and Neji landed, surrounding Sakon.

"How did you...?" He questioned, out of curiosity more than anything else.

"I hid a Shadow Clone behind," Naruto smirked. "When you attacked, I used the Substitution Jutsu to switch between us."

"Not bad," Sakon acknowledged.

"Enough small talk," Neji was now in the Gentle Fist stance. "You can choose to give us back our comrade..." He charged forward. "... or we'll fight you for him!"

Easily dodging a flurry of attacks from Neji, Sakon kicked the Hyuga boy away.

"Don't underestimate me," Sakon said confidently.

"It seems we have a strong opponent on our hands," Shino spoke.

"Anyway, this guy is the last one!" Naruto grinned. "We'll just kick this guy's ass and bring Sasuke back!"

"Hmph." Sakon folded his arms. "Do you think I am some beatable Genin?"

"You are at a disadvantage here," Neji pointed out. "Fighting while carrying that container around with you will result in loss of speed. However, if you set the container aside, one of us could take it away when you're engrossed in the battle. Destiny is in our favor."

Sakon grunted. "If you want to know how much of a disadvantage I'm at, why don't you try me?"

"Gladly!"

Sakon turned his head back to see Naruto aiming for his head with a sword.

To the blonde's horror, a hand emerged from Sakon's back and grabbed the sword, twisting it out of Naruto's hands and tossing it to the ground. The hand then tried to fist the Chunin, but Naruto jumped away in time.

"What's that?" He asked himself.

"Now who should I take out first?" Sakon smirked. His gaze fixed on Shino. "Right, the quiet guy." He charged.

"Hm?" Shino looked up.

"Shino! Watch out!" Naruto yelled.

Neji jumped towards Sakon, but a fist protruded from the Oto nin's shoulder and knocked Neji away.

"Parasitic Insects Jutsu."

"Huh?" Sakon watched as bugs began pouring from Shino's jacket. He stopped to see the bugs flying towards him. "So you are one of those bug users from Konoha... the Aburame Clan."

"Yes." Shino kept his hands in his pockets, as Sakon narrowly avoided the kikaichu.

"You don't only have him to worry about." Neji appeared in front of Sakon and activated his dojutsu at the same time. "Byakugan."

"Fist Barrage!" Sakon cried, gaining two extra arms. Neji could only look on in amazement and surprise as the Sound shinobi attacked with four fists at a time. Unable to keep up, Neji was eventually knocked back and thrown to the ground.

Temporarily keeping one of the Leaf ninja out of the battle, Sakon continued his focus on dodging Shino's insects. He attempted to charge towards the Aburame, but Naruto quickly appeared in front of him and drew his sword.

"Take this, you bastard!"

Sakon gained one extra arm emerging from his right arm, and with two right hands stopped Naruto's blade.

"Feet Barrage." Sakon kicked Naruto backwards with four feet. He then jumped into the air as the kikaichu zipped past. "Annoying insects." He continued his retreat from the chakra-eating creatures.

Sakon switched directions to charge for Shino.

"Insect Wall Jutsu." More bugs spread from Shino's jacket, surrounding the human hive protectively as a shield. Sakon stopped going forward, instead ducking as more insects flew over him.

The insects gathered together, and Sakon frowned as they formed a sharp spear.

"Parasitic Insects: Spear."

Shino thrust his arm forward, and the insect-filled spear flew towards Sakon, who dodged by diving to the side. The spear crashed into the ground, exploding with insects flying everywhere.

"Hidden Jutsu: Insect Tornado."

More of the bugs came flying out of Shino's sleeve, and there was eventually enough to form a wild tornado.

Shino's arm went down, and the insect tornado was slammed down on Sakon.

Sakon managed to jump away from the technique just in time.

"You are quick," Shino noted.

"I am," was the smug reply.

"Too bad you are fighting multiple opponents! Hyaaa!" Sakon looked up, to see Naruto descending on him with a sword raised.

"Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

Now looking to his sides, Sakon discovered there were three Narutos surrounding him.

As the Narutos reached their target, Sakon looked up and raised his fist to punch away the Naruto in the air. A fist appeared from his right hip, tossing away the Naruto on the right. The Naruto on the left was kicked away from a foot coming out of Sakon's left hip.

The clones dispersed and the original Naruto landed on his feet, rubbing the spot where he'd been punched.

"What are you?" Neji questioned, his eyes narrowing.

Sakon's reply was an evil smile.

Infusing his weapon with Wind chakra, Naruto leaped towards Sakon and swiped the blade. Sakon dodged every strike. "Fist Barrage!" He sent Naruto flying with a flurry of fast punches.

The Leaf's newest Chunin coughed out blood as he felt himself colliding with a tree.

"Insect Clone Jutsu." A clone of Shino appeared beside him, and the two charged at the unsuspecting Sakon from behind.

When Sakon realized it, both Shinos had already smashed into him.

"Insect Iron Tackle!"

Sakon was thrown forward, and Neji saw it as an opening. He leaped up and attacked, but Sakon managed to dodge even in mid-air.

"Fist Barrage!"

Neji slammed into the ground, coughing blood that stained his shirt.

Shino's Insect Clone rushed towards Sakon as he landed, trying to tackle him again.

Sakon ducked, and grabbed the clone's arm before expertly slamming him to the ground. The Shino lookalike exploded into insects that managed to crawl up Sakon's arm.

"Damn!"

Shino nodded as the remaining kikaichu returned to the safety of his sleeves.

Growling, Sakon swept the insects off his arm, but the tiny bugs dodged his hand easily and returned to their feasting place.

Getting the feeling of tiny bites, Sakon immediately felt some of his chakra being drained.

"Now's your chance. Neji." Shino nodded towards the Hyuga.

Neji ran forward and attacked.

Even with chakra-eating insects on his arm, Sakon showed no distraction, easily dodging Neji. "Feet Barrage!"

Neji tried to dodge the attack, but was ultimately thrown to the ground again.

Sakon managed to swipe off the last of the insects, but already felt himself weakening. _  
_

"Hello, Sakon."

Sakon looked up warily. His lips broke into a smirk.

"Kimimaro."

Shino, Naruto and Neji looked up.

The one called Kimimaro stared at them from a tree with a passive expression. Naruto felt fear gripping him. Whoever the stranger was, for some reason, Naruto could tell that he was strong.

"It looks like you're having fun." Kimimaro descended. "But Orochimaru-sama wants the boy now."

"Tsk," Sakon unstrapped the container off his back. "Impatient as always."

Kimimaro shot him a dangerous look as he took over the container. Sakon's response was a weak smile.

"Damn it," Neji cursed, as Kimimaro started running from the scene.

Sakon cracked his knuckles. "Now, it's time for my fun."

"And mine." A Sakon lookalike came out of Sakon's body, a smirk on his face.

"What the hell?" Naruto backed away.

"Ukon," Sakon smiled.

Ukon had a crazed look on his face. "Just three brats?"

"Who is this guy?" Neji frowned. "Is this a clone jutsu of some sort?"

Black marks spread over Sakon and Ukon's faces.

Naruto was instantly alert. _That's Sasuke's...! So these guys have it too! _

"You brats are going down," Sakon boasted.

"Naruto." Neji looked towards his team captain.

"Yeah?"

"You go after Sasuke." Neji prepared himself for battle. "Shino and I will take care of these guys."

Naruto had a grim look on his face. "Will you guys... be okay?"

"Yes." Shino confirmed.

"Naruto," Neji repeated. "The priority of this mission is to rescue Sasuke. Do not let the mission end in failure." Smiling, the genius placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I... have faith in you and your ability. You can bring Sasuke back."

Naruto grinned.

Neji smiled as well. One and a half month ago, the once aloof boy never imagined he would be saying such words. However, Naruto had changed him.

"What are you bastards talking about?" Sakon raced towards the Leaf shinobi.

"We won't be giving you any time to yourselves!" Ukon chuckled evilly.

"Alright." Naruto sheathed his weapon. "Good luck, you two." Pushing chakra into his feet, Naruto rushed away from the battle, in the direction of where Kimimaro had gone.

"Oi!" Ukon yelled.

"Your opponent is me!"

Ukon turned, to see Neji in front of him, preparing to strike.

Shino raised his arms as Sakon neared.

"Let us fight." The bug user spoke, as insects rushed out from his sleeves.

* * *

"Here we go."

Ino, in the body of Jirobo, walked into the prison cell, accompanied by two ANBU. Shikamaru was by her side, carrying her limp body. "Damn, Ino, you're heavy."

Glaring at Shikamaru to hush him, Ino placed her hands in a hand seal.

Jirobo's body went limp and collapsed, while Ino woke up in Shikamaru's arms. The Nara let her down.

"Thank you," one of the ANBU nodded towards the two members of Team 10. "You may now leave."

Shikamaru and Ino exited the prison, but all too soon, a voice echoed throughout the village.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

Hinata, Kiba and an unconscious Sakura rushed into Konoha.

"The hospital, Kiba-kun," Hinata reminded.

"I know!" Kiba yelled. "I have someone in critical condition here - where do I go besides the hospital?"

Before Hinata could reply, a voice echoed throughout the village.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

"WHAT?!"

Hiruzen winced.

Itachi Uchiha slammed his hands on the desk of the Hokage.

"How did this happen?"

"I don't know," the Hokage answered truthfully.

Itachi growled.

"I have already sent a team of Chunin and reliable Genin to rescue your little brother." Hiruzen said reassuringly.

"Chunin? Genin?" Itachi was in disbelief. He held his head in his hands. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He growled again, and exited through one of the windows. "I'm going after him myself."

Hiruzen made no attempt to stop the Jonin as he teleported away. The old man simply sighed, and resumed his paperwork.

* * *

Baki glared at the paperwork.

The Suna Jonin reluctantly signed it.

Being the acting Kazekage was hard work. Almost the entire population of the Sand wanted the position, but Baki certainly didn't. Unfortunately, with him being the best Jonin around at the moment, the council had declared him as acting Kazekage until they found a permanent replacement.

Baki had been offered the job full time, but he'd shuddered at the thought.

Paperwork everyday? No, definitely not.

Suddenly, a Jonin burst into the office.

"Can't you knock?" Baki was annoyed.

"Sorry, Kazekage-sama-"

"I am not the Kazekage," Baki sighed.

"... Apologies, Baki-sama. But we just received this message here." The Jonin presented a scroll on his desk. "It's important, please read it." He placed his hands together, releasing the seal on the scroll.

Unrolling the scroll, Baki's eyes widened as he read the contents.

"Sasuke Uchiha, huh..."

Baki closed his eyes, deep in thought.

He then dropped the scroll into the dustbin below the desk and looked up towards the Suna Jonin in front of him.

"I want Temari, Kankuro and Gaara Sabaku up here in ten minutes."

* * *

**Hope everyone liked the chapter. **

**Question for today: Favorite Jinchuriki besides Naruto, Gaara & Killer B? Mine would be Fu - simply because she's sexy. Yes, yes, I am a male after all. **

**Leave your interesting responses in the reviews. **

**In the next chapter, Shino and Neji pit themselves against the sibling duo of Sakon and Ukon. Meanwhile, Naruto catches up to Kimimaro. Until next time!**

**P.S. I have a feeling someone's going to put in the reviews 'Tayuya was underpowered' and how she's a 'trusted guard of Orochimaru' and all. Get this - she wasn't weak or anything. Lee is just freaking epic. **


	45. Demonic Duo: Sakon and Ukon

**I personally liked how last chapter turned out. :) **

_**Rain Dove**_**: I haven't gotten over that either. I just needed an excuse of some sort to get the clan massacre out of the picture so I wrote that hastily, I admit. Anyway, the story is over 40 chapters now so hopefully readers will be appeased with the later chapters if they get mad with that. Thanks for the epic review! **

_**The True Not Important**_**: ****Who's ending up with Naruto?**

_**Charrmed**_**: Tsunade-hime will definitely appear :) **

**Thanks to _Babyhearts, merry1995, Corpj123, Rain Dove, zarethuzumi, S.R.457, The True Not Important, tamu_ and _Charrmed _for the reviews! **

* * *

"Nice try." Ukon dodged Neji's strike and kicked him to the ground.

Neji frowned as he got up, his entire body aching.

_I've been absolutely poor in this fight. Once I get him with the Gentle Fist, the battle's over, but he's too fast for me! _

"What, are you trying to think up a battle plan?" Ukon appeared behind him. Neji was instantly alert, turning round and attempting to hit the Sakon lookalike, but Ukon ducked and tackled Neji down.

_Aside from speed, battle skills, extra limbs and the ability to separate himself, this guy... or these guys... they don't seem to have any other special technique,_ Neji noted. _Since they've separated, it might be safe to assume that they don't have the ability of extra limbs anymore. _

Ukon charged at Neji, ready to strike him down again as he got up.

"Eight Trigrams Palm... Rotation!"

"What?!" Ukon grunted as he was thrown back violently. Neji stopped the technique.

_Let's assume that this guy is a stranger and has just entered the battle. _Neji thought. _He doesn't know anything of my techniques, while I know his, or at least I think I know the full extent of his. _

"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"

Ukon felt the pain of a palm slamming into his chest. He was then pushed back and off his feet.

Shino's gaze went to Neji and Ukon's battle, but his attention went back to Sakon quickly. The feminine-looking ninja was relentlessly dodging his kikaichu insects.

"Return." Shino spoke the command, and his insects did just that. "Parasitic Insects: Spear!" The chakra drainers combined to form a spear once again, and threw themselves at Sakon.

"You think it's that easy?" Sakon laughed, easily dodging the spear.

"No." Shino replied.

An Insect Clone of Shino landed on the unsuspecting Sakon from above, with the clone knocking the Oto nin to the ground and pinning him down.

"A clone..." Sakon growled.

"Sometimes, when you are dodging an attack, you can't see another one coming." Shino had only a hint of a smile on his face. "While you were busy evading the Parasitic Insects: Spear, I created an Insect Clone and hid it in the tree above you over there."

"How did you know I was going to be at this spot?!"

Shino shrugged. "Lucky guess."

"Grr." Sakon tried to throw the clone off, but it suddenly dispersed into insects that ravaged his body. "Noooo!"

"Hidden Jutsu: Insect Sphere."

"Waaaah!"

The insects continued their feast.

That was, until Sakon got back up on his feet and brushed away all the insects with a roar.

Shino stepped back, an evident look of shock on his face.

Sakon's hair was now long and his skin had turned a dark shade of red. A single horn had also grew on his forehead and he now resembled a bit of a true demon.

"So you made me use the next level of the Cursed Seal..." Sakon chuckled. "Well, whatever. Now you've forced my hand, I'll ensure you die a brutal death. How's that?!"

"I'd really rather not." Shino raised his arms, prompting more of the parasitic insects to enter the atmosphere. The bugs raced to the now demon-like Sakon, who made no attempt to dodge them.

"Eat all you want, you little bastards," Sakon grinned, as the insects flocked to him. "My chakra levels are so high now, I can't give a damn."

Shino's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as Sakon charged towards him, ignoring the insects surrounding his body like they were nothing.

He dodged, but the second he moved was also the second he got a fist up his face.

Shino's glasses almost fell off as he fell off his feet.

_His speed... and strength... they seem to have increased. _

Neji jumped into the air as Ukon tried a low punch. In mid-air, he tried a flying kick, but Ukon blocked his foot easily. Neji seized the opportunity to use a Gentle Fist move, but it was evaded.

"You aren't putting up much of a fight, you know," Ukon complained.

_Damn it. I can't get in range enough to use that technique... _

"Ukon!"

Ukon turned and smirked.

"So you've entered the stage two, brother? It looks like your opponent was much stronger than mine, then."

"I want you to come back into my body." Sakon jabbed a finger towards himself. "I can handle these two guys alone."

Ukon growled at him. "Bossing people around, like always. Feeling confident now you're in stage two?" However, he relented. The black marks faded from Ukon's face as he re-merged with his sibling. Shino watched in mixed feelings of disgust and surprise.

"Neji, are you okay?"

Neji turned to look at Shino. "Yeah, fine."

_Somehow, I don't think we'll get out of this without being at least heavily injured. _

Sakon roared as he advanced.

_I'll have to use every bit of chakra I can for this,_ Shino thought. He raised his two arms. "Parasitic Insects: Swarm."

Sakon stopped in his tracks as a mass amount of kikaichu surrounded him.

"I told you I won't be neutralized by these insects anymore," he sneered, about to continue his run, but then the insects closed in on him, and Sakon soon found out the true purpose of the technique as the purple creatures attached themselves tightly to his body.

"I know." Shino muttered.

"So the purpose of this technique is to paralyze opponents..." Sakon frowned.

"You should not tell your opponent about your abilities until confirmation of said opponent's defeat." Shino placed his arms forward. "Parasitic Insects: Pupa."

More kikaichu spread from Shino's sleeves to surround Sakon, but this time trapped him in a purple bug-created tornado shaped like a real pupa.

Shino's hand balled into a fist, and the pupa minimized swifter than Lee without his weights.

"You crushed him," Neji observed.

Shino frowned. "Not yet."

Sakon returned to sight, leaping into the air out of Shino's pupa. The kikaichu returned to their hive's sleeves.

"Impossible." Shino was genuinely shocked. _Even after I stopped his movements with the Parasitic Insects: Swarm... he managed to escape my technique! The Pupa is supposed to be a one-shot kill jutsu, too... This guy... _

"Disappointed your little jutsu didn't work?" Sakon cackled.

Neji glared at Sakon.

"What's with that glare, pretty boy?" Sakon jumped towards him. "For that, I'll kill you first."

Neji placed his palms in front of him. "Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"

"Graaa!" Sakon growled as he was flung back. "What was that?"

He got up on his feet, and used the speed granted to him by the Cursed Seal to swiftly zip behind Shino. Attempting to grab hold of the Aburame's head and break his neck, Sakon only ended up holding a log.

A sharp pain invaded his back. Sakon felt blood leaking from his lips as he turned back to see one of Shino's insect spears stabbing into his body, narrowly missing his spine.

_Not bad... _the demon-like ninja mentally admitted.

"You think that will kill me?" Sakon laughed, feeling weaker by the second. However, he also felt the Cursed Seal's regenerative powers working it's magic.

"No." Shino replied honestly.

Neji suddenly appeared in front of Sakon. "Now I've got you right where I want you." He said coldly.

"Hm?" Sakon frowned.

"8 Trigrams..."

Neji lowered one of his arms. The other arm was raised, and he got into a crouching stance.

"... 128 Palms!"

* * *

Naruto looked up ahead.

Kimimaro was in sight, but far off.

Growling, the blonde Jinchuriki pushed more chakra into his feet and continued the chase. Suddenly getting an idea, he made a hand seal while running. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Three pairs of hands were soon lifting him into the air and tossing him towards Kimimaro.

"Hm?" Kimimaro turned back as Naruto flew into his face.

He ducked just in time as Naruto flew over him.

"Finally caught up with ya!" Naruto glared at him. "Give Sasuke back!"

Kimimaro placed a hand on Sasuke's container, setting it down. "Leave if you do not wish to die."

"That's what I should be telling you!" Naruto roared, drawing a single sword and channeling Wind chakra up to the blade.

Kimimaro crouched and placed his hands in front of him with a cold look. "If you wish for death, I have no problem in quickening the success of that desire for you."

* * *

"Kaaaaaah!"

Sakon took deep breaths, looking down at the puddle of blood he'd made beneath him. Neji smirked, his hand still pressed onto Sakon's abdomen. Shino's insect spear disappeared.

To the duo's amazement, Sakon gave a roar of rage. "Fist Barrage!" He punched Neji furiously, and slammed his entire head into the ground.

Shino's earlier frown returned.

"Y-You..." Neji struggled to speak. "... can still move?"

"So this is what your attacks do." Blood leaked from Sakon's lips again but he brushed it off. "They cut off an opponent's chakra." He then broke into devilish laughter. "That isn't going to stop me!"

"W-What?"

"Most of my techniques don't utilize chakra," Sakon continued laughing. "You guys picked the wrong opponent!"

Neji grunted in pain. _I see... _

The double-headed nin turned to Shino and smirked.

"Shouldn't you at least be a bit affected by my spear stabbing through you?" Shino quizzed, as his insects began to fly around him protectively.

"Ha, you wish." Sakon leaped towards Shino. "A little attack like that can't hurt anyone!"

"Insect Wall Jutsu!"

Shino's shield of insects surrounded him, but Sakon burst through the wall without a care in the world. "Feet Barrage!" He screamed, slamming two pairs of feet into Shino's face, completely shattering his sunglasses and temporarily blinding the Aburame.

"Fist Barrage!"

Shino felt another two pairs of arms ramming themselves up his gut, and soon after he fell to the ground.

Sakon placed his foot on Shino's ripped open jacket, his arms folded. "Looks like I win."

"Not yet!" Neji shrieked, rushing forward.

"Haven't you had enough?" Sakon mock-yawned as Neji tried to attack him. He blocked the first strike and grabbed onto the Hyuga's hand. Another hand appeared and punched Neji in the face.

The Branch member couldn't find any strength to get up and fight the enemy again. He closed his eyes as Sakon walked over to him, preparing to deal the final blow.

_Hopefully we held this guy back enough. Naruto's probably gotten Sasuke by now. That's a relief. _

_I never thought I would die on such a mission. _

_But I guess it's a good way to die, eh? Helping out a comrade... _

"Sand Coffin!"

Sakon gasped as he found himself enveloped by sand.

Eyes widening, Neji looked up. _Is that...?_

The demon was lifted up into the air. He struggled violently, and two hands broke out of the coffin-style prison.

"Sand Burial!"

"Haaa!" Sakon burst out of the sand, just in time as it compressed.

"Hm?" The voice that had called out the name of the technique was one of surprise.

"So, he dodged Gaara's ultimate technique, huh? Looks like a toughie."

"Kankuro, don't let your guard down."

"Don't order me around like that!"

Sakon growled. _This is troublesome... reinforcements? _

"W-Who...?" Neji coughed, unable to look much higher than the newcomers' feet from his position on the ground.

"Who are you?!" Sakon demanded, and caught sight of their forehead protectors. "Sunagakure...?"

"Who we are, huh...?"

Sakon studied the new group, their intense stares getting to him. _  
_

"Gaara..."

"Kankuro..."

"Temari."

"The Sabaku Siblings, ninja of the Sand, allies of the Leaf!"

* * *

**That was a pretty weird way to end it, but hope you liked the chapter. I prefer Sakon and Ukon fighting as one, so I didn't show the two fighting separately much this chapter. I might in the next one though. Yes, it seems a little weird that the Sabakus arrived earlier than Itachi, but meh. **

**Question for today: Character bashing - yay or nay? **

**In the next chapter, the Sabaku Siblings face off against the duo of Sakon & Ukon. Meanwhile, Naruto's showdown with Kimimaro commences. Until next time! **


	46. Kimimaro's Dances: Sword vs Sword!

**Someone reviewed Chapter 2 and said "that fight scene was boring, pm me and I'll show you the ropes". **

**I wasn't really offended, but... 'appalled' would be the best way to describe my reaction. I've been at FanFiction, writing action stories for 2 years and 2 months now and someone who joined less than a year ago has offered to "show me the ropes". Frankly, I chuckled a bit at that review.**

**Regarding my question in the last chapter, please bare in mind I DO NOT INTEND TO BASH ANYONE in this story. Bashing is for pussies. **

**_Corpj123_: Apologies if you are offended by me not replying to all of them! I just can't be bothered to give a fuck to one-word reviews, and other times there are reviews that I only know how to appreciate, but have no bloody idea how to reply. Thanks for the review!  
**

_**WaterDrop**_**: As I have said to everyone that asked this question - you will find out soon! **

_**Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan**_**: Thank you for the brilliant excuse on why the Suna Siblings showed up first. **

_**Lin**_**: Yes, where the heck is Sakura? Tests were horrible, but thanks for asking :) **

_**Rain Dove**_**: Oppa Kishi Style! Couldn't resist. **

_**FireIce**_**: Thank you for the awesome compliments and I look forward to seeing more of your reviews ;) **

**Thanks to _Corpj123, WaterDrop, CCWYMetroid, Guest, Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan, Lin, Kakashi's Master, Rain Dove, Chlobo Shoka, FireIce, __The True Not Important_ and _hi1235_ for the reviews! **

* * *

"The Sabaku Siblings, ninja of the Sand, allies of the Leaf!"

"I don't care who you are," Sakon growled. "All of you are thrash."

Kankuro's eyes narrowed, releasing a fearsome wave of killing intent. "I'm going to decapitate you."

Sakon simply smirked at the attempt to unnerve him. "Well, I've taken down two of these brats. What harm can another three do?" He charged, his fist raised and readied for a punch.

"C-Careful!" Neji called out. "Extra limbs can come out from any part of his body!"

"What do you mean?" Kankuro questioned, but got his answer as Sakon jumped towards him.

"Fist Barrage!"

The Oto nin rained punches on the puppeteer. Kankuro's face began to crack, and a scythe protruded from his chest. A hand reached out from Sakon's chest, stopping the blade from piercing his body.

Kankuro stepped out from the trees with a smirk. "So that's what you meant."

Sakon pushed Kankuro's puppet away and attacked the hooded teen, who jerked his arm back.

Crow came chasing after but Sakon easily kicked the wooden humanoid away.

"Sand Shuriken!" Gaara cried. An army of shuriken made of sand formed in the air, and flew towards the three Suna ninjas' opponent. Sakon easily brushed the pain of the shuriken off and finally managed to punch Kankuro in the face.

However, his face cracked again, and Sakon looked back to see his target sitting in a relaxed position where Crow had been.

Jumping away from the puppet now in front of him, Sakon dodged Crow's scythe once more.

"What was that?" He hissed.

"A simple Substitution Jutsu," Kankuro smiled victoriously.

"Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!"

Sakon gasped as a sharp gust of win slashed his chest and stomach. A slash appeared on the tree behind him, chopping it off. The two-headed ninja jumped away just in time as the tree slammed onto the ground.

_I can't handle all three of them alone,_ Sakon thought.

On cue, Ukon emerged.

Gaara turned to look at Neji expectantly.

Neji got back to his feet with difficulty, and leaned against a tree. "He... this guy... it's two guys living inside one body."

"So essentially, an extremely strong clone jutsu," Kankuro thought aloud.

"Oi! I'm no clone," Ukon cried in annoyance. Black marks spread over his face and body, before they glowed orange and combined to form brown skin. Soon growing a horn, Ukon took the same demonic form as his brother.

"Tsk." Kankuro waved his fingers, and Crow was soon in front of him.

Gaara raised his arm.

This was when Sakon looked down and noticed a trail of sand that ended at his feet, starting from Gaara's gourd.

"Shit!" Sakon tried to evade it, but the sand soon took the shape of a giant hand and grabbed his entire body.

"Brother," Ukon frowned. "You let your guard down."

"Shut up and get me out of this!" Sakon shot back.

"Wind Style: Wind Blade Jutsu!"

Temari waved her fan, and a deep scar appeared on Ukon's chest.

"Gaargh!" He reeled back at the invisible attack.

"Crow!" Kankuro yelled. Crow shot forward, firing poison senbon. Seemingly without a care for them, Ukon punched them away. "Eh?"

"In this form of his, he is not affected by poison or anything else," Neji sighed.

Gaara slammed his hand down onto the ground. In turn, the hand grabbing Sakon too slammed the demon onto the forest floor. Gaara then raised his hands, and sand covered itself around Sakon again.

"Sand Coffin!"

Shukaku's Jinchuriki frowned as Sakon burst out from the technique with ease and charged right at him.

Sakon threw a fist, but Gaara's sand came up, blocking the attack. Another fist followed, but the Sand Shield was near impossible to bypass. As Sakon's fist sank into the shield, Gaara quickly did his thing.

Trying to pull his hand out, Sakon found out he couldn't.

Sand seeped to the back of Sakon and flew into the air, taking the form of a sand-made spike.

"How's this?" Gaara smiled, willing the spike to move forward. Sakon didn't seem too unhappy at being faced with his doom. With a blood-chilling roar, the Cursed Seal wielder stopped the spike by grabbing it with his own hand.

Gaara's eyes widened as Sakon's palm started to bleed. The spike dissolved.

Then, with another roar, Sakon pulled his fist out of the Sand Shield and zipped behind Gaara. His sand wall came up again, but only narrowly made it. If Sakon had been two seconds quicker, Gaara would have been hit.

"No one has ever managed to stop my attack with just a single hand before," Gaara remarked.

"I guess you picked the wrong opponent then." Sakon was in front of Gaara again, launching into a barrage of expertly-executed kicks and punches.

Gaara's Sand Shield easily blocked all of them.

"Sand Prison!"

Sakon frowned as the sand formed a giant ball around him. He dived out quickly and continued his assault.

Seeing that Temari, Kankuro and the Konoha ninja were behind him, Gaara nodded to himself. More sand began travelling out of his gourd to hit the ground. Sakon stared at the amount of sand pouring out.

_Is he... readying himself for a technique? _

The sand soon got to his knees.

_What kind of jutsu is this? _

Sakon tried to get up into the air, but he was too late. The sand was preventing him from moving, and was now up to his waist.

The Sound teen felt his sense of balance losing out, and soon he was falling into the sea of sand.

"Sand Tsunami!"

Temari and Kankuro looked up from fighting Ukon.

"He's using that jutsu huh," Kankuro smiled.

"Kankuro!" Temari shrieked.

The puppet user looked back at their opponent, but Ukon tackled him and melted into his body.

"K-Kankuro!" Temari repeated her brother's name in shock, as the head of Ukon appeared on his shoulder.

"Hehe!" Ukon smirked. "Demon Parasite Jutsu!"

"What is...?!"

"This is our unique Kekkei Genkai," Ukon threw his head back and laughed. "We can enter and merge with the body of anybody!"

"T-This is bad..." Temari ran up to Ukon's head with a kunai, intending to finish the demon off, or at least his head, but he slipped back into Kankuro's shoulder and re-appeared from his other shoulder.

"And as long as I'm in this body, I can destroy all of his cells," Ukon chuckled evilly. "He is going to die a slow and painful death."

"Or am I?" A voice called.

Ukon snapped his head back in surprise to see Kankuro standing there. "Then-!"

He instantly felt pain shooting up his body. "Gaaah!" Ukon turned to see the face of Crow staring lifelessly back at him. The puppet was sticking it's own scythe into it's own body repeatedly.

Finally, the puppet lifted the weapon to it's head and severed it's own head off, but Ukon had already jumped out of the body in time. However, the monster-like ninja had deep wounds in his body and was bleeding profusely.

"You... you bastards!"

"Doesn't that trick ever get old?" Temari sighed, as Kankuro walked up with Crow, with his head back on.

"Nope," Kankuro replied with a cocky smile. "Looks like it's time for my ultimate technique too." He placed two scrolls on the ground. "Black Ant!"

"Huh?!" Ukon backed away, as Black Ant appeared and instantly charged towards him. With his speed, he tried to run, but Crow attacked and easily knocked him to the ground.

_Screw this... I can't move as fast as I can because of these wounds! _

However, his surroundings soon changed to pitch darkness as Black Ant trapped him within it's body.

"Secret Black Move: Iron Maiden!"

Crow's body parts dislodged from it's torso and flew towards Black Ant, with each body part wielding a blade. Kankuro's smirk never left his face as the body parts all stabbed into Black Ant.

Ukon's frustrated yelling ceased and blood leaked from the Suna puppet.

"It's over."

Meanwhile, Sakon found himself drowning in Gaara's sand. He focused on his Cursed Seal, and was about to burst out of it.

"Giant Sand Burial!"

Unfortunately, Sakon could do no such thing, as his body was subsequently crushed.

* * *

"Digital Shrapnel."

Kimimaro's two hands shot out. His ten finger bones protruded out and was blasted towards Naruto like a missile.

"Wha-What's that?!" Naruto asked himself. He used his sword to block the bone missiles. One hit his arm, and immediately tore off skin. The Chunin screamed in agony. It was more painful than it looked.

"Willow Dance!" Two bone swords sprung out of Kimimaro's palm. Similar ones also shot out of his elbows and shoulders. Naruto was stumped.

Kimimaro attacked, swishing viciously but randomly.

Naruto proved more than a match for the older teenager, easily using his sword to counter every single one of Kimimaro's bones. The blonde's sword soon glowed greenly as he fought.

Kimimaro showed no signs of stopping nor tiring. Naruto jumped up, trying to land a kick on his head.

Instead, his foot met one of Kimimaro's bone swords, the one protruding from his right palm. With his left palm's bone, he thrust, but Naruto jumped away just in time.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

An army of Shadow Clones appeared, and charged at Kimimaro.

"Leaf Style: Extreme Crescent Moon Dance!"

The original Naruto leaped into the air, along with two of his clones. The rest of the clone army continued their charge. Kimimaro gazed at his attackers with an unreadable expression.

He then started moving, at lightning speed.

Naruto frowned, trying to land with his sword on Kimimaro, but couldn't match up to the bone wielder's speed.

The Oto ninja's movements were as unreadable as his emotions. Naruto blinked once, and suddenly ten clones were dispersed.

Another twenty were taken out, leaving only the last two and the original.

"Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

All three charged at Kimimaro, who made no attempt to move. Instead, as the Narutos got close, he crouched down and held out his arms.

Both clones ran into the bone swords on his palm, and dispersed as the weapon stabbed into their faces. The original found his sword clashing with one of the bones on Kimimaro's shoulder.

Turning back, Kimimaro gave Naruto a kick to knock him away.

"Wind Style: Razor Wind!"

Kimimaro frowned.

_What is this jutsu? I have never heard of it before. _

He got his answer as Naruto waved his sword furiously, sending a blast of razor sharp wind slamming into his chest and leaving cuts.

Kimimaro flew back, but landed with his feet on the ground.

_Well, now that I know what kind of jutsu is it, I can counter it. But this boy... he seems to have an unlimited amount of chakra. Why is this...? _

Naruto smiled to himself. _I landed a hit! _

The bones on Kimimaro's shoulders withdrew, and so did the ones on his elbow. The bone swords on his palms withdrew themselves as well.

A long bone from Kimimaro's upper arm bones jutted out, and without hesitance, he pulled it out forcefully. Naruto winced.

Now holding the sharp-edged bone like a sword, Kimimaro beckoned for Naruto to attack him.

Naruto gladly did.

"Camellia Dance."

Disappearing from sight, Kimimaro reappeared behind Naruto and thrust his blade.

In a situation like this, the average ninja would have been stabbed. However, Naruto's speed levels came to his aid once again as he turned sharply and countered the blow as quickly as he could with his own sword.

Taking advantage of the close proximity between them, Naruto lifted his right leg, back-kicking his enemy. Kimimaro stopped his foot, grabbing it with his left hand and pushing it back down.

He then jumped away, his bone sword glistening under the sun.

Naruto's grip on his own sword hilt tightened.

"It is certainly interesting that you are a master of kenjutsu yourself," Kimimaro praised.

Both Leaf & Sound shinobi charged towards each other, and their individual swords eventually clashed against each other with a loud clang.

Naruto withdrew his weapon first, before thrusting it towards his opponent as quickly as he withdrew it.

Kimimaro parried the attack easily, and both sword users looked evenly matched.

This was something that surprised Kimimaro.

Unfortunately, their fight was soon cut short as a giant ball of fire invaded the scene.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Naruto didn't have to worry about dodging the flame, as the offensive technique was directed straight towards Kimimaro.

Kimimaro jumped out of the way, the fireball colliding with one of the trees and mercilessly burning it down.

Itachi landed from the air beside Naruto.

"I-Itachi-sensei!"

Itachi's eyes flew to the container, and then towards Kimimaro. A trademark Uchiha glare was directed towards the white-haired ninja.

"You picked the wrong person to abduct," the newly-arrived Jonin said coldly, as Kimimaro noticed his black eyes becoming red ones. His pupils then started spinning, and changing.

"Mangekyo... Sharingan."

* * *

**Unfortunately I have to cut short the chapter here ;) see you all next time. **

**Question for the day: Having Rinnegan powers for three days, OR a lifetime supply of money and good food? **

**Leave your interesting responses in the reviews. **

**In the next chapter, Itachi and Naruto battle Kimimaro. Stay tuned. **


	47. Unbreakable: Kimimaro of the Kaguya Clan

**Yes guys, Itachi is using the Mangekyo a lot - and yes, he does not have the Eternal Mangekyo yet - and yes, this means he will go blind. But all I can say is, he WILL NOT go blind. Something to mess your heads around until we eventually get to it - which is about another 50 chapters away probably. How will Itachi NOT go blind? Leave some interesting guesses, I always love to hear them. **

**A huge shoutout to my 300th reviewer _Charrmed_. :D**

_**Corpj123**_**: You told me to ignore your review in pm so I shall do just that :P **

_**S.R.457**_**: Out of the woods? What do you mean? Thanks for the awesome rating :D**

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: I was saying in real life, so no, if you train and train, you still won't become a ninja :P yes, Naruto wielding a sword is kinda awkward and I'm only starting to realize that now - but we all love a sword-wielding Naruto. Makes him look cool. **

_**Rain Dove**_**: Yes, the word is probably 'uninspiring'... To your note about Itachi using the Mangekyo a lot, please refer to the first paragraph of this Author's Note. Also, I understand what you mean about the Rinnegan. Shinra Tensei-ing and Bansho Tenin-ing my teacher back and forth - that is something I would be unable to resist doing.**

_**enerongoku77**_**: I'm glad to hear a fellow Singaporean with the praise, but your profile states you're Malaysian! O.o Regardless of where you are from, it is an honor that you consider my writing on par with your favorite authors. Thank you for the compliment! **

**Thanks to _Corpj123, S.R.457, hi1235, Hachibi8tails, Charrmed, Rain Dove, FireIce_ and _enerongoku77 _for the reviews!**

* * *

"The Sharingan..." Kimimaro frowned. He looked towards the container behind him. "You are a part of this little guy's clan, yes?"

"I'm more than that..." Itachi started trembling with rage. "... I'm his brother! And I'm taking him back!" He charged, pulling out a katana of his own.

Naruto gulped. He'd never seen his sensei this fierce.

Kimimaro defended himself, using his bone sword to counter as Itachi attacked with his katana.

"That's interesting." Kimimaro's tone of voice showed that he disagreed with his own words. "But I'm still going to have to take him to Orochimaru-sama."

"Tell Orochimaru-sama to shove this up his ass!" Itachi jumped back, dropping his katana to perform hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Another gigantic fireball emerged from Itachi's mouth. Kimimaro was visibly impressed by the size of it, but still managed to avoid the burning flame and it crashed into another tree.

"I-Itachi-sensei! Calm down!" Naruto urged. "You can't beat him like this!"

Itachi took a deep breath. _Naruto's right... I can't be charging into battle like that._

He looked back.

"Naruto, tell me everything you know about this guy."

Naruto nodded. "He can use his bones as weapons!"

Itachi frowned, finding his student's explanation incredibly vague. He then recalled something, and glared at Kimimaro.

"You... are of the Kaguya clan?"

Kimimaro stared back at Itachi. "Yes."

_Then... the ability he possesses... bones as weapons... is it the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai? _

_This means physical attacks will not work on him... if he's fast enough, that is. _

_In that case..._

Itachi noticed Kimimaro was staring him right in the eye.

"Tsukuyomi."

Kimimaro blinked, noticing the color of the surroundings around him had changed to red and black.

Itachi was in front of him, giving him an evil smile as he was bound to a cross. In Itachi's hand was his katana.

"Until you give up..." Itachi started coldly, readying his weapon. "... You will be tortured here for the next week."

Kimimaro didn't seem to be panicking. Itachi frowned, and prepared to stab into his enemy's abdomen. Unfortunately, a bone spike sprung out and blocked the attack.

Itachi frowned.

His wrists sprouting more bone spikes to release himself, Kimimaro jumped off the cross.

_His Kekkei Genkai... it's working even while under my genjutsu! _

Kimimaro nodded towards Itachi. "Nice technique, but unfortunately, it will have no effect on me." The Kaguya blinked again, and this time his surroundings had returned to normal.

To Naruto, Itachi and Kimimaro had only been staring at each other for two seconds. He was puzzled as to why Itachi's face had suddenly looked troubled.

"Nice try," Kimimaro complimented - but it sounded more like a taunt.

Itachi glared at him - the classic Uchiha glare again. "If genjutsu won't work, ninjutsu will." He breathed in hard. "Fire Style: Flame Bomb!"

A flame missile was blasted from the Uchiha's mouth towards Kimimaro, who dodged it with ease. The missile hit a tree and exploded, completely destroying the plant.

"Eh, Itachi-sensei!" Naruto's blade glowed. "You aren't the only one who wants to bring Sasuke back, y'know!"

He charged forward. Kimimaro raised the bone-created sword in his hand, and easily fended off Naruto's attacks.

Itachi flung an army of shuriken, shooting small fireballs onto each of them. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Shuriken Jutsu!"

With ease, Kimimaro struck the burning shuriken away.

Naruto waved his sword. "Wind Style: Razor Wind!"

Kimimaro jumped out of the way, with Naruto's attack vanishing into the air.

Seeing this, Itachi turned towards Naruto. "Naruto, use that jutsu of yours again, will you?"

Naruto nodded. "Wind Style: Razor Wind!"

Itachi breathed in once more. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Both techniques collided and formed a fireball the size of a literal giant.

"I see... so you combined a Wind Style and a Fire Style jutsu to make the Fire Style attack more powerful." Kimimaro noted. He jumped onto a tree branch, and from the tree branch, leaped up high into the air as the massive fireball raged through another army of trees before being appeased.

Naruto growled angrily. Itachi simply frowned, surprised that the fireball, fueled by Wind chakra, had been dodged.

Kimimaro landed in front of Naruto, and raised his sword.

Reacting fast enough, Naruto dived to the side and jumped up high, performing the Shadow Clone hand seal.

"Sword Clone Jutsu!"

Itachi looked on as what he regarded as Naruto's most powerful technique was utilized on the enemy. Soon, thirty swords were raining down on Kimimaro, but like before, he looked on with a passive gaze.

"Larch Dance."

Various sharp bone spikes popped out of Kimimaro's back, chest and shoulders. Dropping the sword in his hands, he crouched down and placed two hands over his head respectively. Bone spikes sprung out from these hands as well.

"What...?" Itachi's eyes narrowed as the swords bounced off Kimimaro harmlessly, his bones acting as a shield.

Naruto was as stumped as his sensei.

Kimimaro didn't give his Konoha counterpart time to react, however, soon charging towards Naruto. He began spinning rapidly, and Naruto struggled to counter all of Kimimaro's bones with his sword.

Itachi ran in and pulled out his own blade.

Naruto beat back one of the bones, but soon another one rose towards him. Itachi thrust his blade forward, blocking the spike's path to Naruto's body.

The Chunin smiled gratefully at Itachi, who grabbed Naruto's Chunin vest and pulled him back.

"In a situation like this, we can't stay close to him," Itachi advised. "You did well, countering his movements and all, but leave the long range attacks to me."

Naruto nodded, glaring with anger at Kimimaro. His eyes then swooped to the container, and eagerly, he raced towards it.

In a flash, Kimimaro was standing in front of the container, and started his spinning movements. Naruto had little choice but to step back.

Itachi placed his hands in a single seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Two clones of his popped up on either side of him. The three lookalikes began doing hand seals again. "Fire Style: Uchiha Great Flame!"

Three Fireball Jutsus combined to form one that looked more gigantic than the previous one combined with Naruto's Wind chakra.

Kimimaro stared intently at the fireball as it engulfed him...

... and he suddenly appeared beside Itachi.

"Itachi-sensei!" Naruto screamed.

However, it was too late as Kimimaro began slashing motions, brutally getting rid of the other clone and then Itachi himself.

Unfortunately, he soon felt a blade running through his back, as the one he believed as the original became an army of crows.

"You used the Substitution Jutsu with one of my Shadow Clones at the last minute. Great timing. Too bad they are all clones."

Kimimaro looked back and frowned. "When did you get the opportunity to substitute yourself with a clone?"

Itachi smiled. "When Naruto was occupying your attentions."

Closing his eyes, Kimimaro spoke. "Fair enough."

His skin then turned white, and hardened.

Eyes widening, Itachi witnessed 'Kimimaro' becoming a practical statue, made of hardened bone.

The next moment, a sharp blade stabbed through his back, similar to how he'd attacked the clone in front of him.

"Itachi-sensei!" Naruto went into panic mode.

The real Kimimaro stood behind Itachi, holding the hilt of one of his bone swords. The blade was deep into Itachi's back.

"W-What?" Itachi managed to cough out.

A small smirk appeared on Kimimaro's lips. "Have you ever heard of a Bone Clone?"

"N-No..." was the reply of the Uchiha man.

This time, it was Kimimaro's turn to widen his eyes as 'Itachi' dispersed into an army of crows as well.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullet!"

"Gaaah!" Kimimaro roared in pain as he was struck in the head.

From on top of one of the tree branches surrounding the area, Itachi let a smile show.

"It appears I was right in predicting your weak point was the head."

Kimimaro turned back and glared as Itachi landed from the branch.

"You can have bones springing out from every single part of your body... except your head. Am I correct?"

The last Kaguya replied with a deeper glare. "You... anticipated all my moves?"

Itachi's smile grew a little wider. "Yes."

Naruto inched closer to the container. Finally, he found his arm reaching out to touch it.

Kimimaro's attention went back to the blonde, and instantly he was behind Naruto and about to strike him with his sword. Naruto turned back, gasping and quickly unsheathing his sword to parry the blow.

There were visible sparks as both swords swiped against each other.

Naruto was forced to retreat from the container again. Kimimaro stood protectively in front of it. _The vessel should be reaching full maturity by now... I must get this to Orochimaru-sama as soon as possible. But these two... _

Suddenly, an Itachi clone dropped from the trees towards him.

Kimimaro spun around to look up.

"Shadow Clone Explosion!"

A huge boom followed, throwing Sasuke's container back wildly.

Kimimaro emerged from the smoke, nursing new wounds. _I can't believe this... he wounded me... _

"Your protectiveness of the container lowered your guard," Itachi noted, now directing a threatening Uchiha glare towards Kimimaro. "Just give it up. All we want is Sasuke back."

Kimimaro stared back at Itachi. "I am afraid I cannot disobey the orders of Orochimaru-sama."

"Orochimaru-sama this, Orochimaru-sama that!" Naruto glared at him as well. "Are you his pet? His dog? Or maybe his personal sex slave?" Naruto didn't know what a sex slave meant, but he only knew it wasn't a good word, having heard some of the boys in the academy talking about it. He launched himself forward, sword raised. "In any case, I am not letting you take this to your Orochimaru or whatever!"

Now giving Naruto a hateful glare, the bone wielder brought a hand up to shield his head. "You... you dare insult Orochimaru-sama like that?"

He waved his body around, only making an attempt to protect his skull, with Naruto's attempts at striking his other body parts futile.

However, Naruto soon found himself back at where he was before charging at Kimimaro. Now in his place stood Itachi, with a Substitution Jutsu.

"I told you not to get close to him, Naruto!"

"... Sorry, sensei..."

Itachi pulled out his katana, defending himself as Kimimaro started to spin. He leaped over the bone-covered teenager and quickly made hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

It was a close-range attack, and one near impossible to dodge, but Kimimaro did it anyway.

When Itachi blinked, Kimimaro was already a few meters away.

"You are very skilled..." Kimimaro admitted, as black marks began spreading over his face and body starting from the upper portion of his chest.

Itachi instantly recognized the Cursed Seal. He frowned.

Swiftly, the black marks soon glowed orange.

The glow spread over Kimimaro's body once again, darkening his skin. Gigantic bones shot out from his back with a loud pop, giving him the appearance of a human dinosaur hybrid.

"But then again, there is rarely an Uchiha that isn't skilled, yes?"

"What are you?" Naruto gasped, taking in Kimimaro's new appearance.

"Naruto." Itachi looked back. "Please do not take part in this fight." His head snapped back to the front to face Kimimaro. "... It's too dangerous for you. Focus on getting that container."

Not waiting for the Uzumaki's reply, Itachi charged, and at the same time, breathed in hard and shot out three flame missiles. "Fire Style: Flame Bomb!"

Undaunted, Kimimaro stood his ground. The missiles blasted into him and exploded, but the smoke cleared to reveal his unscathed form.

"As long as I use the Cursed Seal..." Kimimaro's chest bones retracted as he got rid of his hole-filled shirt by ripping it off. "... you can forget about landing a hit on me."

"What? Why?" Naruto asked for Itachi.

Kimimaro showed a little smirk again. "In stage two of the Cursed Seal, every single bone in my body hardens to it's maximum."

_That means..._ Itachi's hands balled into fists. _He won't feel any pain at all..._

"You should be thankful... Uchiha..." Kimimaro addressed Itachi, as he crouched down and reached his hand back. "... This power is something your brother will receive!"

Kimimaro's spine began to jut out of his back.

"Clematis Dance: Vine."

Pulling out his entire vine, Kimimaro waved it dangerously. Itachi observed that it looked like a whip. _Is he going to try and restrain my movements? _

"Haa!" Kimimaro threw the spine-turned-whip forward.

It wrapped around Itachi's body, effectively tying him up.

"Now... Clematis Dance: Flower!"

The lower half of Kimimaro's right arm became a gigantic bone spike that looked similar to a drill. Naruto gasped in horror as Kimimaro charged towards the paralyzed Itachi and hit his tied-up target.

However, 'Itachi' soon turned into crows again and Kimimaro's surroundings became a world of red like before.

He looked around, glaring at the empty space.

"So that's what your... Clematis Dance does." Itachi wasn't in sight, but his voice boomed in Kimimaro's ears. "You restrain the target, and use the slow but destructive power of the Flower technique to deal a killing blow."

Kimimaro walked around. "Have you not learnt the first time? Genjutsu won't work on me." He smiled. "I have been trained to withstand genjutsu by Orochimaru-sama himself! I could kill you in your own genjutsu world!"

"Why don't you try?"

"Sure." Kimimaro started to move, to seek out Itachi, but soon found that he couldn't. Looking down, he felt shock pass through him as his legs were now waving like paper.

Then, Kimimaro realized his entire body was doing the same. He felt like a thin strip of paper.

To the dinosaur-like ninja's further shock, he found his toes beginning to burn. The fire was soon spreading to his feet and legs.

It was a genjutsu - yet he could feel the pain of his lower body parts burning, and was unable to suppress a scream of agony.

With a determined growl, Kimimaro placed his hands in a seal.

"Release!"

Unfortunately he continued burning, and Kimimaro felt his fingers starting to roast.

He tried again.

"Release!"

"Release!"

"Release!"

"RELEASE!"

Normal surroundings returned to his sight, and Kimimaro backed away, dazed.

Itachi was surprised. _He managed to break free of my genjutsu...?_

Kimimaro's eyes narrowed. "That was a good move, but I think it's high time for you to die." _  
_

He charged, with his drill-like bone spike still on his right arm.

Itachi dodged with little effort. He'd described the weapon as destructive but slow, and he was completely accurate. Kimimaro's attacks were now a lot slower, and all Itachi had to ensure was not to get caught by any of it, which was easy.

_It seems genjutsu that completely restrain his movements and bone attacks are the ones that work the best... _

The Jonin ducked as the drill swished over him dangerously.

_I have to find an opening to cast my genjutsu! ... Or all I'll be doing in this battle will be dodging, dodging and dodging... _

Then, as Itachi blinked, he found that he no longer felt the strain on his eyes, that had been imposed when he'd used the Tsukuyomi earlier.

_In that case... I'll go with..._

Kimimaro landed on top of the container, glaring down at Naruto whose hand was brushing against the wooden material.

"Digital Shrapnel!"

Naruto jumped back, his sword blocking Kimimaro's bone missiles.

_I can't waste time here any more... _The Orochimaru worshipper thought. _The vessel will break out any second now. I must get him to Orochimaru-sama as soon as possible._

"It has been a pleasure engaging you in battle, Uchiha-san." Kimimaro strapped the container to his back. "But I must leave for now."

With that, Kimimaro leaped into the trees, continuing on the path to Otogakure. Without hesitance, Naruto and Itachi followed suit.

Naruto glared hard at the retreating figure of Kimimaro.

_We are going to save ya, Sasuke! _

* * *

**Hope you liked the battle, again. I predict a review telling me how Kimimaro should not have been able to withstand genjutsu and Itachi's Tsukuyomi, but... I'm just going to shrug. I needed an excuse to keep the battle going on for as long as possible - and besides, in my opinion, Itachi has the ability to take away an opponent's moves and powers while they're under his genjutsu - but not if the opponent possesses a Kekkei Genkai. **

**Question of the Day: Which of the Six Paths' ability would your rather possess? For me, it would probably be the Deva Path. I've been trying to Bansho Tenin-ing my pen to me whenever it drops and it never works. **

**Leave your interesting responses in the reviews. **

**In the next chapter, Kimimaro leads Naruto and Itachi to the Valley of the End, just as Sasuke's ascension to the next level of the Cursed Seal is completed. What will happen? **

**Find out in the next chapter ;) **


	48. Level Two, Complete: Sasuke Reappears!

**Tons of interesting reviews last chapter.**

_**Danish78**_**: Shisui? Maybe. ;) I read that Tsukuyomi puts strain on the user's eyes after using it - so as an extra excuse to prolong the fight, I made it so that he couldn't use Amaterasu until a few minutes. **

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: Thanks for seeing my point of view about Kimimaro and genjutsu - but I'm pretty sure Sasuke broke out of Itachi's Tsukuyomi by using his own Sharingan to counter Itachi's Sharingan genjutsu. Or did I watch it wrong? O.o P.S. love the little dialogue at the end of your review. Animal Path is great indeed. Hehe. **

_**WaterDrop**_**: It's really awesome to know that you like my work as much as Kishi's :) Thank you! **

_**Corpj123**_**: I definitely see it from your point of view, but there would be no chapter to tell if Itachi used Tsukuyomi and bam, Kimimaro dies. And I'm disappointed you didn't like the chapter based on just one 'mistake', I was actually pretty happy on how it turned out. **

**_zarni htet 7_: I'm glad I made your day :)**

_**The True Not Important**_**: Itachi doesn't have an immunity to blindness, I'm saying he'll have one soon ;) but what is it? For you to find out, until we come to it :P **

**Thanks to _Danish78, Hachibi8tails, WaterDrop, S.R.457, Corpj123, ChloboShoka, hi1235, zarni htet 7, The True Not Important, Aurora-chan _and _Charrmed_ for the reviews! **

* * *

Kimimaro stopped at the Valley of the End. Behind him, Naruto and Itachi stopped.

"Finally decided to give up on running, huh?" Naruto smirked. "Now give Sasuke back!"

Ignoring the boy, Kimimaro simply continued on his way, about to jump over the first of the statues to the next.

_If he goes over this waterfall, it'll be impossible to chase him any further..._ Itachi looked over to the forest on the other side of the waterfall, separating the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields.

Naruto charged, but even his speed could not beat Kimimaro as the Kaguya ninja's ascent into the air started.

"Sasuke!" The blonde screamed.

A wave of sand shot out from behind Naruto and Itachi, and grabbed onto Kimimaro's right foot.

"What?" Kimimaro looked down as the sand's grip on his foot tightened, leaving him dangling in mid-air. The container, however, was thrown to the other side of the waterfall by Kimimaro's sudden jerk after getting caught by the sand.

"Gaara!" Naruto gasped.

Gaara walked forward, nodding at Naruto with a smile.

"Why are you here?"

Itachi looked at Naruto. "Now's not the time for questions, Naruto!"

"R-Right!" Naruto nodded.

Suddenly, a burst of energy followed from the container, and Naruto stopped in his tracks. A worried frown formed on Itachi's face, while Kimimaro smiled knowingly.

_It's starting, _the Shikotsumyaku wielder thought.

Itachi didn't like this one bit. "Naruto! Go!"

Naruto nodded again and rushed towards the statue of Hashirama.

Suddenly, a massive amount of chakra began flowing from the container as it shook violently. It gave off a feeling of evil.

As Naruto jumped into the air from the statue of Hashirama, the lid of the container flew into the air.

The form of Sasuke flew from the confinement of the coffin.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shrieked.

Gaara frowned. "He's broken away from my sand." He lifted his feet off the ground with a small jump, and a platform of sand appeared beneath. "Desert Suspension!"

The Suna Genin flew down the waterfall. Itachi looked towards Naruto, and then into the air where the vague body of Sasuke was. _No matter how strong he is, Gaara can't handle Kimimaro alone. I leave this up to you... Naruto! _

Itachi ran up the Hashirama statue, before letting himself drop down into the waterfall.

Just as he did, Sasuke landed on the opposite statue, the one of Madara. Naruto gasped.

"W-What happened to you... Sasuke?"

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the three shinobi in front of him.

Kakashi was standing beside an uncharacteristically worried-looking Might Guy. Beside Guy was Anko Mitarashi - one of the Chunin Exam proctors.

"Kakashi, Guy, report."

"Oh, yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi nodded. "Shino Aburame and Neji Hyuga have both returned. They are both in bad condition, but are otherwise safe from any sort of life-threatening danger. Two of the Suna team we requested help from - Kankuro and Temari Sabaku, escorted them back here, but Gaara Sabaku is absent."

"Hm?" Hiruzen frowned. "Where is Gaara, then?"

"He requested for Kankuro and Temari to depart first as he wanted to see if he could do anything else to help the remaining ninja on the mission."

"I see." The Third nodded. He looked towards Guy. "Why do you look so worried, Guy?"

Guy scratched his chin. "Well... what I heard from Neji... is that Lee engaged his opponent earlier than Neji and Shino engaged theirs."

Hiruzen frowned again. "And he has not returned?"

"I... I'm afraid not, Hokage-sama."

"Lee will be fine." Kakashi placed a hand on his rival's shoulder. "He is strong enough."

"Kakashi, from your visit to the hospital - who has returned, and who has not?"

Kakashi nodded, looking back towards the Hokage. "It appears the team led by Sakura Haruno is back. My student, Kiba Inuzuka, has minor injuries around his body, and they'll heal pretty quick."

"What about the rest?"

"Ino Yamanaka's status is the same as Kiba's. Choji is in an unfortunate condition as well - but is out of any sort of life-threatening danger. Sakura has severe wounds and chakra exhaustion. She, like everyone else, is out of any danger but needs to be kept in the hospital for a long time, I think."

"What about the other team - led by Naruto?"

"Yes. As you know, Shino and Neji have returned - but both Lee and Naruto have not. It appears there are still one or two enemies left to defeat."

"Right..." Hiruzen leaned back in his chair. _Well, both Itachi and the Suna reinforcements have been called in to back Naruto up... I shouldn't worry too much. _

* * *

"Naruto." Sasuke acknowledged.

Naruto gasped at his friend's change in appearance. His shirt had been ripped apart, leaving only his shorts and a bare chest. But it wasn't the change of clothing that shocked the Jinchuriki.

Sasuke's skin was now entirely dark, and his hair had grown into a long mane. On his back were two wings, both in the shape of hands.

As Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes, he had to stop himself from shuddering. They held pure malice.

"I am feeling power like never before," Sasuke continued, inspecting his newly-colored skin.

"Sasuke... let's go home."

Naruto reached out a hand.

To his surprise, Sasuke simply laughed.

"Go home? Go home to that pathetic village you call the Hidden Leaf?" Sasuke cackled. "With Orochimaru-sama, I can have power! This is only a simple taste of the power I will receive! Why would I go 'home', as you describe it?" He began laughing like a madman.

Naruto's eyes widened. "D-Did I... hear that right...? You... don't want to..."

"Yes." The Uchiha sneered. "This power is amazing, Naruto... it is unbelievable. You would want more if you were me!"

_Is it... that new appearance? Is it... messing with Sasuke's head? _

"If you want to take me back, you can try!"

Sasuke broke into Orochimaru-like laughter.

_Yes... that's it... _

"I'm sorry, but..." Naruto placed a hand on his sheathed sword. "... I'm going to have to knock some sense back into you... Sasuke!"

* * *

Kimimaro landed, and both Gaara and Itachi followed right after.

"Not going to let me get away, huh..." Kimimaro regarded them with a cold look. "Well, I have no desire to run from a strong opponent." He held up his right arm, where his heavy-looking bone drill was.

Gaara jerked his hand forward, and sand from his gourd shot towards Kimimaro.

"Sand Prison!"

Kimimaro dodged the technique just in time. "Digital Shrapnel!"

Gaara's Sand Shield conveniently covered both him and Itachi, as the bone missiles failed to bypass the Suna boy's defence.

Itachi stepped up.

"Get back, Gaara." As soon as his orders were followed, Itachi reactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan. The shuriken-like pupil burst to life, as he widened his eyes. "Time for you to die."

"I told you," Kimimaro smirked. "Whatever jutsu you try to use, I am immune to it in this level of my Cursed Seal."

"Hm." Itachi smiled, closing his eyes, and then reopening them again. "We will see." His right Sharingan eye started spinning furiously, startling both Gaara and Kimimaro.

Making sure, his gaze was directed straight at his target, Itachi did a mental nod to himself.

"Amaterasu!"

Kimimaro, sensing something about to happen, jumped away. The jet black flames appeared a second later at the spot where he'd been standing, burning furiously.

Itachi turned to look at Kimimaro again, redirecting the flames.

Gaara folded his arms and took a step back. _So this is the power of an Uchiha._

"I see." Kimimaro continued running away from the flames. "Wherever you look, is wherever the flames go..."

Itachi ignored him, as he felt blood starting to run down his right eye. _I have to hit him... quick! _

"Itachi!"

Hearing Gaara's warning shout, Itachi turned back, and an Amaterasu was fired towards Kimimaro who had snuck up behind him.

_How did he... I didn't even see him move! _

Kimimaro crashed onto the floor, writhing in pain from the flames.

_Well, at least he's done. _

'Kimimaro' soon turned white, and hardened up.

Gaara frowned, while Itachi turned. _Shit. _

He pulled out his katana just in time to parry Kimimaro's strike.

"You..." Itachi struggled to keep Kimimaro's drill from touching his body. _I see... his movements were fast enough to create a clone without me noticing. What I killed with Amaterasu was the clone - and now I can't use any of my Mangekyo Sharingan techniques for another few minutes._

"Haaa!"

Gaara's sand came forward, forcing Kimimaro to jump away from Itachi.

Wiping off the blood spilling down from his right eye, Itachi's Mangekyo turned into a normal Sharingan. _Using Amaterasu was the only method I could think of defeating him... _

Kimimaro attacked them again.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

Kimimaro descended into Itachi's fireball, and escaped with barely a scratch.

Dodging the attack, Itachi kicked out at Kimimaro's cheek.

The bone-wielder's expression changed into one of pain.

_I see, so his head weakness is still there! _

Retreating back to stand beside Gaara, Itachi spoke. "Aim for his head."

Without any questions, Gaara nodded, raising his arms. More sand poured from his gourd, taking the shape of three sand spikes in the air. "Take this." He willed the spikes into Kimimaro, who simply brushed them away with his hand.

Tightening his grip on his weapon, Itachi flung himself forward. Sounds of clashing metals followed as both took each other on in kenjutsu.

To his own surprise, Itachi found himself being overwhelmed by Kimimaro's rather large drill weapon, and almost had his arm severed.

However, he pulled back just in time. Kimimaro then swung a kick at him that sent Itachi rolling back.

"Shadow Clone Strike."

Itachi's clone poofed to life in front of him and suddenly sped forward with a kunai, managing to leave a small scar on Kimimaro's cheek before dispersing.

A tail then sprang out from Gaara's back, and slammed into the unsuspecting Kimimaro's face before he could react.

Gaara then jumped forward, his right arm now turning into a gigantic sand-covered hand.

Taking the opportunity to rest for awhile, Itachi popped a Food Pill into his mouth. The chakra he'd used for the battle had been intense. Kimimaro was certainly one of the strongest opponents he'd ever faced.

"What is this?" Kimimaro questioned.

Gaara responded by a punch attempt, but Kimimaro dodged with ease and got behind Gaara, about to run the drill through the redhead's body. Unfortunately for him, Gaara's tail sprouted out again, wrapping around his face and slamming him to the ground, head-first.

Wincing at the pain he was receiving, Kimimaro looked between Gaara and Itachi. _So they've figured it out... again. _

He tried to charge at Itachi, but was quickly grabbed and trapped in Gaara's giant arm.

Sand flew around Gaara's left hand, still in normal shape. The particles formed the shape of a spear.

Gripping onto the long weapon, Gaara tried to drive it through Kimimaro's head.

Swiftly, Kimimaro ejected the sharp bones located in his chest. Gaara winced, as his giant hand began to dissolve. Now free, it was Kimimaro's turn to attempt an end of his opponent's life, but the Sand Shield rose to defend Gaara.

To the youngest Sabaku's amazement, the bone drill passed straight through the Sand Shield after much effort, forcing Gaara to leap away.

The rest of Gaara's sand arm dissolved, and reformed back into a normal, human hand.

Turning back to look at Itachi, who was staring intently back at him, Kimimaro shook his head. _It's obvious he's trying to buy time for something. _His attention next swooped to Gaara._ This one is formidable too. They are a present threat to me. I am going to die... but not now. Not yet. But more importantly, they could both be a future threat to Orochimaru-sama. Let me erase that possibility. _

"Now..." Kimimaro smiled.

Itachi tensed. "Be careful, he's planning something!"

"Bracken Dance!"

Around the area, sharp bones immediately began shooting up from the ground.

Itachi's Sharingan eyes shifted into the Mangekyo form, and they started their spin again.

"Susanoo!"

* * *

"Beat some sense into me?" Sasuke chuckled evilly. "Naruto, you've always been the dead last!" He shifted into a fighting position. "What can you do to a powerful being like me?"

"You are not Sasuke," Naruto replied coldly. "Sasuke would never say something like that!"

"I am Sasuke, alright." The winged boy replied. "You are just seeing for the first time... the real me!" He jumped towards Naruto, arms raised. "But I'm not expecting a dead last like you to understand, Narutoooo!"

"Sasukeeee!" Naruto screamed, his sword now in front of his face as he jumped towards his teammate as well.

* * *

Gaara panted wildly, floating along beside the rushing waterfall on his Desert Suspension technique. The ground below him was now covered by hundreds of sharp-tipped bones.

But he couldn't care less. The fascinating image in front of him mattered more.

A mystical giant had formed in the air. Gaara could vaguely see through the gigantic humanoid, who was armored and wielded a sword. On his left arm was also a shield.

Within the giant was Itachi, seemingly floating in it's chest. The creature, using it's sword, had slashed apart every single bone that'd surrounded it.

"None of your techniques will work against Susanoo." Itachi said, looking around.

The one called Susanoo made no sound, simply looking around like Itachi was - presumably for Kimimaro, who had mysteriously disappeared. Itachi's eyes narrowed, considering the possibility of their opponent escaping.

Catching sight from the corner of his eye, Itachi turned abruptly to face Gaara, a look of panic on his face.

Seeing this, Gaara quickly turned, to see Kimimaro emerging from one of the bones and aiming his right-armed drill straight towards him.

Thankfully, Gaara's one tail swiftly returned and slapped Kimimaro into the air, just as his drill was three centimeters away from Gaara's face.

_Now! _Itachi thought. On cue, Susanoo leaped into the air, thrusting it's giant sword forward.

"Totsuka Blade!"

* * *

**Not that great of a chapter, with all the constant scene changes and stuff, but I'm glad I at least got another chapter done. **

**Question of the Day: In the story of_ Team Itachi_, what was your favorite part of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc? **

**In the next chapter, Naruto battles it out with an unlikely opponent, Sasuke, and we also learn of Kimimaro's eventual fate. See you all next time. **


	49. Clash of Friends: Naruto and Sasuke

**The rest of Kimimaro's fight with Itachi and Gaara will go unseen, because I want to focus on Naruto's battle with Sasuke, but don't worry - they'll come back soon.**

_**Nutjob117**_**: Will try my best ;) **

_**Corpj123**_**: I'm not afraid to admit it - I actually AM a lazy writer.**

_**WaterDrop**_**: Sasuke, a good guy? We will see.**

**Thanks to _Nutjob117, hi1235, Corpj123, S.R.457, WaterDrop, slashrunner_ and _FireIce_ for the reviews!**

* * *

The Totsuka Blade slammed into Kimimaro's body, but it was soon revealed to be a clone.

_His proficiency with clones... it's annoying,_ Itachi thought. _I'm starting to run out of chakra... I have to get him with my next attack... _

Gaara lifted himself and his sand platform higher into the air warily.

The two awaited their opponent.

* * *

Kabuto looked behind him, to see Orochimaru resting on a bed. "The Four said they were going to seal Sasuke Uchiha up in the coffin right after they captured him... so the Cursed Seal process should be finished by now."

Orochimaru nodded. "And?"

Kabuto frowned. "Will Sasuke come willingly?"

"Ah..." Orochimaru smirked. "That is something I have thought of."

Puzzled, Kabuto gave his master a questioning look, who returned it with an evil glare.

"The stage two of the Cursed Seal can completely corrupt your mind."

Pushing his glasses up, Kabuto stared at Orochimaru. "Really?"

"That is, if you are a... 'good guy', as they describe it." Orochimaru's evil smirk continued to play on his lips. "The Seal's power is only great enough for a person who wants that power."

Kabuto's glasses dropped, but he pushed them up again. Orochimaru stared at them, convinced he needed to get a new one that wasn't as loose.

"Sasuke-kun doesn't want that power. He is a 'good guy', that 'I'll fight to the death to protect my village kind,'" Orochimaru mock-yawned and snorted at the same time. Then his face grew into an evil one again.

"The Cursed Seal level two form will corrupt his mind, as I have said. He will become a power-hungry individual, someone who wants to keep the power that is currently running through their veins for good, and get even more. That is why he will come to me."

* * *

"Narutoooo!"

"Sasukeeee!"

Sasuke threw a punch first, but Naruto twisted his body in mid-air to avoid it. However, one of Sasuke's new hand-wings clenched into a fist and shot forward, hitting Naruto.

_Those wings act as fists too?_

Naruto landed on the statue of Hashirama, and Sasuke followed soon after.

"Sharingan!" The Uchiha activated his dojutsu.

"Come on, Sasuke," Naruto pleaded. "Come back. Be the Sasuke me and Sakura-chan knows!"

Snorting, Sasuke simply did hand seals. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Naruto gasped as the 'small' fireballs came out of Sasuke's mouth. They were now bigger than the standard fireball of a Fireball Jutsu.

"You can't dodge this!" Sasuke threw his head back in a creepy laugh. "Die!"

Naruto glared at the fireballs and focused. _If this doesn't work... I'll die! _

Thankfully, it did.

Sasuke screamed in pain as he was engulfed by fire.

Naruto smiled, now standing at Sasuke's spot. "Substitution Jutsu."

"That... that was a lucky shot... you dead last bastard..." Sasuke cursed, emerging from the smoke with new burns. He crackled with purple chakra. "Let me show you my new powers!"

"You talk too much, Sasuke!" Naruto's sword glowed green and he started waving it around. "Wind Style: Razor Wind!"

All of a sudden, Naruto found himself having to turn around to defend himself from Sasuke's punch.

"H-How did you get there so fast?!"

Sasuke smirked, his wings quickly aiding him in knocking Naruto to the ground.

"This... is... power!" He roared. "Keep admiring them, you dead last, because you'll never get them!" He swooped towards his teammate.

"Dead last...?" Naruto got up on his feet. "I have a name! It's Naruto Uzumaki!"

"You're the dead last for all I care!" Sasuke appeared behind Naruto again, and the blonde managed to land a strike. However, Sasuke's wing shielded him, and also punched Naruto away again.

_How... how can I defeat Sasuke?_ Naruto thought, as he panted. He had minimally took part in two battles during the mission, and as a result, his chakra wasn't at an all-time high.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Naruto gasped. The fireball was three times it's normal size.

He jumped into the air, back onto Madara's statue, the fireball burning off Hashirama's hair.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Naruto gulped as a new fireball was sent his way.

He contemplated using his Wind jutsu to counter it, but then remembered the battle with Kimimaro and how the Razor Wind had powered up Itachi's Fireball, and decided against it.

Instead, the young Chunin settled on diving to the side, and did so just in time.

_I guess this will be the first time I can properly test that new jutsu! _

Praying it would work this time around, Naruto bit into his thumb. Doing the required hand seals, he placed his palm on the ground. "Summoning... Jutsu!"

Sensing a new arrival to the battlefield, Sasuke looked up.

"Bring Down the House!"

Naruto smiled as a giant toad crashed into Sasuke, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Unfortunately, Sasuke soon disappeared.

Naruto jumped forward as Sasuke appeared behind him, with a failed attempt to strike with a close-range Chidori.

"Hm?" The toad stared at Naruto. "A new summoner!"

"Oh, hey." Naruto stared at Sasuke as his Chidori crashed into one of the trees, bringing it down entirely. "I am Naruto Uzumaki! Well, as you can see, I'm in a bit of trouble here..."

"Right, I am Gamahiro, but we will do the proper introductions later." Gamahiro pulled out two swords from his back. "As you are my summoner, I will assist you in your fight - although you seem a little too young for my tastes."

Before Naruto could retort, Gamahiro charged forward. Sasuke pulled his arm back, and turned to see the toad.

Gamahiro brought his first sword down, but only succeeded in splitting the stump of the tree that Sasuke had destroyed into two. The winged boy had long gone, and was now charging towards Naruto with a newly-powered Chidori.

Naruto glared as Sasuke came charging towards him. Could he really bring himself to kill a friend?

As Sasuke neared, Naruto realized he could, and swiftly jumped out of the way. Sasuke's Chidori slammed into the back of Madara's head.

Gamahiro charged again, but Sasuke leaped away before he could be attacked.

He threw four shuriken at Naruto. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Shuriken Jutsu!"

Placing one of his katanas in front of Naruto protectively, Gamahiro knocked away the flaming shuriken.

"What a troublesome toad," Sasuke spat. "I'll take you out first." He jumped towards Gamahiro, aiming a punch for the aquamarine-colored amphibian.

Gamahiro responded with a swipe of his katana, but instantly Sasuke was behind the toad, swinging a Lightning chakra-infused kunai.

Naruto rushed to defend his summon, fighting off Sasuke with his sword.

"Thanks, kid!" Gamahiro turned around to face Sasuke. "You are not half bad, after all."

"Take this!" Sasuke screamed, throwing the chakra-infused kunai at Naruto, who beat it off with his sword again.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu." Two Narutos appeared beside him, and they rushed at Naruto. The original leaped into the air, and all three cornered the winged beast. "Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

Sasuke glared at the three Narutos gaining on him. Nobody could see it - but one extra tomoe had appeared in his Sharingan.

He jumped into the air first, taking out the Naruto at the top with a kick. Swiftly, kunai were thrown at the other two Narutos' vital areas, dispersing them.

Gamahiro jumped in right after the dispersion of the clones, but was knocked away with a strong punch. The giant toad crashed into the Madara statue.

"Gamahiro!" Naruto yelled.

"You don't have time to be worrying about that toad!" Sasuke chuckled, whipping out a kunai and infusing it with Lightning chakra once more.

Glaring at the person he considered his best friend, Naruto prepared to continue the battle.

"I can read all your movements. It is obvious who is going to be superior in the result of this fight." Sasuke boasted.

"You talk too much..." Naruto replied. "... Sasuke!"

The smirk on Sasuke's lips grew wider, as he slammed his kunai into the chest of a Naruto clone attempting to sneak behind him.

"I told you I'm able to read all your movements."

"But it's no use if you can't counter them!" Voices yelled from above. Sasuke looked up to see ten Narutos descending towards him, with their swords pointed straight at his head.

"Or can I?" Sasuke did the hand seals so quickly Naruto couldn't even catch sight of them. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

A fireball, two times the size of the previous one, was fired onto the clones and dispersed them all, save for one. This particular Shadow Clone was quickly dispersed as Sasuke overpowered it swiftly.

"This guy is strong," Gamahiro remarked.

"You okay?"

"Yes, I'll live," the amphibian shrugged. He pulled out his two katanas and leaped forward to attack Sasuke again.

Sasuke threw more shuriken at his toad opponent. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Shuriken Jutsu!"

With a few swishes of his katana, the shuriken were all knocked away. Gamahiro continued his charge on Sasuke.

To Naruto's shock, Sasuke demonstrated his new-found strength, slamming both his palms onto Gamahiro and proceeding to lift him up into the air. With a distorted voiced roar, Sasuke threw his victim onto Naruto, who jumped into the air just in time.

Now charging for Naruto himself, Sasuke crouched and his wings did the punching for him.

Naruto desperately fought off the wings, but sailed into the air from a hard punch as Sasuke arose and pummeled him in the face.

The spiky-haired shinobi flew past Madara's statue and started dropping down the waterfall, but speedily, Gamahiro jumped to save his summoner.

With one of his inconveniently short hands grabbing onto Madara's finger, and the other squeezing onto Naruto's hand.

His wings flapping to lift him up into the air, Sasuke swooped down to Naruto, with both hands clutching onto chakra-infused kunai.

Gamahiro had other ideas. He hurled Naruto back up onto the statue himself.

Glaring harshly at the toad, Sasuke decided to go for him instead, but Gamahiro disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Bastards..."

Flying back up onto Madara and towards Naruto, Sasuke managed to kick him in the chin.

A few punches from his fists and wings followed, knocking the bloodied Naruto to the ground.

"Just give up," he laughed, cracking his knuckles. "Although I'll still kill you if you give up, but... it's pathetic to see a small fly like you being tossed around by an elite like me. It's dirtying my hands."

Naruto got back up on his feet, and looked up.

Even in his Cursed Seal form, Sasuke was startled. The intense glare in Naruto's eyes were intimidating, to say the least.

The Uchiha frowned deeply as Naruto's blue orbs turned into a fiery red, and the whiskers on his cheeks became more visible - Sasuke couldn't find a better word to describe the blonde's new feral appearance.

A red cloak of chakra appeared, entirely covering Naruto.

"What is that?" Sasuke questioned, glaring as what appeared to be a tail of chakra sprang out from the back of the cloak.

"Raaaarrr!" Naruto leaped towards Sasuke with a ferocious cry, abandoning his sword entirely.

Flying back, Sasuke watched in awe as Naruto punched the spot he'd been standing on, resulting in a mini explosion.

Naruto wasted no time, immediately jumping out of the smoke to grab onto Sasuke and slamming him down onto the ground.

His fingernails growing notably sharp, Naruto landed a long scratch on Sasuke's face, drawing blood.

A pained growl followed and Sasuke kicked Naruto off.

"Asshole!" He cursed.

Naruto did not reply, simply springing forward to attack Sasuke again.

Seeing Naruto's sword below him, Sasuke grabbed onto it, and defended himself. Channeling his own Lightning chakra up the blade, he swung it.

Now with two tails on his back, Naruto completely ignored the sword, slapping it out of Sasuke's grip and dealing the winged monster a number of fierce punches and a harsh scratch to the chest.

He finished with a kick to Sasuke's face, throwing him to the ground.

"Kaaah!"

Sasuke coughed violently, and blood stains spilled his bare chest.

Crawling up to his opponent, Naruto gave him a crazy smile, before gripping onto Sasuke's face and hauling him into the air.

Next, Sasuke was mercilessly slammed onto the ground continuously.

When Naruto decided it was enough, Sasuke was thrown over Madara, but with his wings, returned to the safety of Hashirama's head.

There, he collapsed, panting wildly.

Seeing Sasuke was not finished yet, Naruto smirked, and prepared to leap over from Madara to Hashirama.

His glare on Naruto never fading, the bruised Uchiha focused all his chakra into his right hand. Instead of blue Lightning energy, black chakra appeared in his palm.

Naruto made the jump, his right hand pulled back, ready to unleash a killing blow.

Now with a scary amount of black chakra crackling in his right hand, the sound of flapping wings filled the valley.

Two voices roared, filling the night air.

"Black Chidori!"

* * *

Orochimaru put on his shirt, and fastened the purple rope belt around his waist.

"With all due respect, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto's voice held concern. "You have not recovered, I really don't think you should walk around."

"They are taking too long," Orochimaru hissed in reply. "I will go and see what is happening for myself."

"Then allow me to accompany you, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively. "There is no need."

With that, the snake master walked out of the Oto hideout.

* * *

**I wanted to have Naruto vs Sasuke go like two or three chapters - but obviously things never work out for me and I really couldn't find a way to lengthen their fight. So this is it - the Black Chidori vs the Raseng- oh. I mean, the Black Chidori vs Naruto's awesome Fox powers. Who will emerge victorious? **

**P.S. The aftermath of this battle is pretty interesting. Stick around. **


	50. Mangekyo, Ablaze: The Death of Naruto

**Finally got another chapter done! **

**And it's really annoying having reviews at Chapter 2 or Chapter 3 saying "your writing skills suck dick!" or "Naruto/Sakura/Sasuke is too weak!". Christ, read the entire story before leaving a stupid comment like this. I wouldn't really mind the criticism if you've read the entire story... but something like this at Chapter 3? Really? **

_**WaterDrop**_**: You are my new favorite reader ;) **

**_TheOrangeStar802_: Glad to see you're back reviewing. I think this chapter will be satisfying for you then ;)  
**

**Thanks to _WaterDrop, S.R.457, Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan, TheOrangeStar802_ and _The True Not Important_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"Black Chidori!"

Itachi wanted to look up, but he couldn't.

Kimimaro was jumping all over the place, faster than a rabbit. Itachi had to put his full concentration into this.

The sound of wings flapping seemed to have alerted Kimimaro as well, who looked up towards the valley. Taking advantage of his one-second concentration lapse, Gaara's sand wrapped around him tightly.

"Totsuka Blade!"

The mystical weapon jammed into Kimimaro's chest.

With a scream, he disappeared from reality forever.

Itachi smiled, landing on the ground as Susanoo disappeared.

The Kaguya clan was no more.

* * *

The flapping sounds grew even harsher.

Sasuke gasped.

Memories came rushing back to him.

Knocked out. Captured. Waking up. Cursed Seal. Appearance. Wings. Naruto. Fight. Chidori.

He gasped again, realizing where he was.

In front of him, the limp form of Naruto grew even limper.

His eyes widening as he now gained consciousness of where his right hand was, Sasuke pulled out, that particular hand now soaked heavily in blood - the blood of Naruto.

Naruto was thrown back onto the statue of Madara, while Sasuke landed on Hashirama.

What had he done?

As his wings disappeared with his dark skin, Sasuke leaped over to the opposite statue and rushed over to his fallen friend.

Naruto had pulled back.

Sasuke held vague remembrance of the battle. Naruto had pulled back. He could have dealt the finishing blow, countering Sasuke's attack with those powerful claws of his own - but instead the bastard had pulled back, and allowed himself to be killed.

The young boy could not believe what had just happened.

Finally, everything became clear once more, and the first word he thought of was the name of his best friend, his teammate. The one lying on the ground at his feet.

_I... I killed someone. _

_I killed my best friend._

These haunting words replayed themselves in his mind.

A tear started falling down his eye, and with it came more. Soon, he was kneeling down, shaking Naruto vigorously with a tear-filled face.

"Wake up... Naruto...! I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please... just..."

Itachi and Gaara poofed into sight with a Teleportation Jutsu.

Both ninjas' jaws dropped.

From an expression of surprise, it turned into one of sadness and shock. Itachi knelt down, like Sasuke, not even daring to check the boy's heartbeat or breath. The gaping hole in his abdomen told him everything he needed to know.

"N-N-Naruto..." He croaked, a tear now running down his cheek.

Gaara felt his body growing weaker. A jolt in his mind prevented him from passing out.

His sadness turned to anger and he glared at the back of Sasuke. "What... what did you do to him?"

"I... I don't know." He replied truthfully.

Gaara's glare intensified. This was the boy he'd come to respect more than his own father, and now his own teammate had mercilessly slaughtered him!

"I-I think I was under the... influence of... this..." Sasuke tapped on the mark on his neck shamefully, his voice shaking.

Failing to see the big picture, Gaara's sand rose from his gourd as his emotions reached a high. "He was your teammate! You could have controlled yourself a little better, you...!"

Itachi stopped Gaara, placing his hand protectively in front of Sasuke. "Gaara... please, do not make this any worst for Sasuke."

His gaze softening, Gaara sighed, starting to tear up as the sand disappeared from sight.

"B-B-Brother..." Sasuke stuttered, fearing the question he was about to ask. "I-Is he... Is he..."

Itachi did not reply, simply resuming the act of mentally punching himself. _I am so sorry... Minato-san... Hokage-sama... _

"Well, well, well, what a sight."

The three turned.

Orochimaru smirked. "Ooh. It looks like you killed the Kyuubi brat!" He spat out his Kusanagi Sword. "It looks like the Cursed Seal worked well, didn't it... Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke did not answer, glaring down at the ground. He could care less about Orochimaru now. Immense grief was flooding throughout his body as he mentally repeated how sorry he was to Naruto. _  
_

"I am here personally to take you back to our lovely hideout," Orochimaru smiled creepily. "Where is Kimimaro?"

Itachi and Gaara didn't answer, both glaring hatefully at the Konoha missing-nin.

"Hm? It looks like even he failed then. No matter. Now I am here, I will take my new vessel by myself."

Orochimaru walked over to the three grieving shinobi. Itachi and Gaara took a step back. Sasuke didn't even flinch, still crouching over Naruto's body and crying his heart out. He had been hit hard, and rightfully so.

"You did well killing your own friend, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru continued, unknowingly throwing salt onto his wound. "It's a very interesting turn of events. The Cursed Seal manipulates your mind - but I had no idea you would go as far as to kill your own friend! Perfect, perfect indeed!"

Itachi wanted to get up, to fight him, to kill Orochimaru, but he knew he couldn't. One more jutsu used, and he would be passing out from chakra exhaustion.

Gaara was only at a quarter of his strength as well.

Orochimaru seemed to find this out from the tired looks on their faces, as well as their bruised bodies - probably explaining the reason for his confident stride.

The evil man inched closer.

Itachi rested his hand on his katana hilt.

Sasuke suddenly spoke.

"I will handle this by myself."

The young Uchiha boy looked up, his intense glare fixed on Orochimaru.

Itachi could not hold back his gasp, the loudest one he'd ever made in his entire life. Orochimaru's mouth formed a small 'o', indicating his own surprise.

In the blazing eyes of Sasuke Uchiha, was the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Orochimaru had to stifle his own gasp.

Naruto's sword was lying on the ground. Picking it up, Sasuke placed it in front of his face, copying the stance that Naruto had so usually assumed when wielding his weapon.

Orochimaru was quickly charged towards, Sasuke throwing caution to the wind. This man had made him kill his best friend - no one in his situation would be thinking clearly.'

"Sasuke!" Itachi yelled. He didn't want to lose his younger brother and the boy he'd come to view as a younger brother all in one day.

Now with Lightning chakra travelling up the blade, Sasuke screamed, venting the anger he was holding towards himself, and unleashing it on Orochimaru.

Getting over his shock, Orochimaru swiftly parried the attack.

"Raaarrhh!" Sasuke roared into his face. Lightning chakra assembled in his unarmed left hand.

Despite the knowledge that the attack could go haywire, as well as extreme exhaustion later on following the use of four Chidori attacks in a day, Sasuke pressed on.

"Chidori!"

The damned Cursed Seal had allowed him to use three Chidori in a row without any setbacks, so why not this time?

However in his rage, Sasuke failed to recognize that he was no longer in the mode of the level two, and his Chidori, as expected, went haywire.

Instead of the Lightning chakra being concentrated in his hand, it flew in all directions, blowing back both Sasuke and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru found himself unable to move, but Sasuke couldn't either.

The Kusanagi wielder stared at Sasuke, who was giving him a glare fiercer than the standard Uchiha glare. If looks could kill, Orochimaru's body would have been dismembered, stitched up, and then dismembered again.

_Sasuke-kun..._ Orochimaru thought. _That Chidori of his... failed... but yet he still managed to utilize it. I don't feel pain, like I would feel from a Chidori, but instead, my entire body is numb... _

Itachi and Gaara moved forward.

"Stay back!" Sasuke shouted.

They shrank back obediently, with even Itachi intimidated by the tone of his brother.

_Well, now that Sasuke-kun has ordered them to stay back, I am fairly safe,_ Orochimaru couldn't hide his smirk. _What a foolish boy. He actually thinks he can take on someone like me. I may be injured, not at my best, but... _

Orochimaru's mental rant meant he failed to notice Sasuke's left Mangekyo eye spinning wildly.

He did notice, however, blood slowly dripping down his left eye, almost like tears.

_No...! _The Snake Sannin fought to move.

"Amaterasu!"

Itachi gasped again, while Gaara watched in awe as black flames appeared on Orochimaru's body.

Orochimaru screamed, deciding he never wanted to feel this pain again. Finally able to move, he crashed to the ground, rolling and writhing around in agony. This pain beat any thing that tortured victims came under.

_It certainly doesn't look as intense as my Amaterasu, but..._ Itachi glanced at Sasuke. _The fact that he can even use Amaterasu... minutes after awaking the Mangekyo... Holy crap. _

Forcing himself to stand up, Orochimaru backed away, trying his best to ignore the raging pain but failing.

"Chidori!"

Black marks roamed over Sasuke's face, and merged to darken his skin. Wings grew out of his back again, as he charged up his fifth Chidori of the day.

His Mangekyo Sharingan pupils glinting, Sasuke's hand rammed through Orochimaru's gut...

... just seconds after Orochimaru completed his skin shedding technique, and burst out of his old skin's back.

With his Chidori, Sasuke dived through the Orochimaru-styled skin, the black flames still continuing their dance on it.

"It has been... a pleasure to..." Orochimaru coughed violently, and then continued. "... to meet you again, Sasuke-kun. But it appears... I have failed."

Not replying, Sasuke's wings started flapping.

"I must now take my leave." The Sannin hissed. "You have damaged me too much." He placed his hands together as Sasuke flew towards him with a murderous gaze. "Until next time, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke threw a punch, but all he hit was smoke.

"Teleportation Jutsu..." Itachi muttered. "He got away..."

* * *

"We've found Rock Lee, sir!"

The Konoha medic team all turned back. True enough, one of their group had found the jumpsuit-wearing taijutsu specialist, with said ninja in his arms, unconscious. The medic-nin laid Lee onto the ground.

"Alright. Medic team, do your thing." The supposed leader gave orders, and his team got to work immediately.

"Are we going to go on ahead, sir?" One of them asked. "It's already dark. Any further and we might just lose our way..."

"Lose our way? Nonsense," said the leader with distaste. "We aren't kids."

The man who had asked the question turned away in embarrassment.

"But I suppose we shall return to Konoha," he continued with a sigh. "After all, Itachi Uchiha is with the remaining team, correct? With him around, there should be no problem."

"Right."

"What's his condition?"

The team of medic-nin left the boy, and one took up the responsibility of picking him up. "He's not in any critical condition but his body is in bad shape. A week or more in hospital, and he's sorted out."

"That's great. Now, let's go back."

* * *

"Where... where am I...?"

Naruto found himself floating in a white, endless space.

He briefly recalled what had happened. Was that the Kyuubi's power taking hold of him - like how the Cursed Seal had done to Sasuke?

And then... he had clashed with Sasuke...

And Sasuke had driven a Chidori through him.

"Yes... most definitely... dead..."

"Nah."

Naruto's eyes widened, hearing a second voice. It was deep and familiar.

The white space turned into one he recognized. Naruto was now in a sewer, with a cell in front of him. Two scary-looking eyes stared at him from the darkness within.

"Is that the Kyuubi?"

"No, it's the Hachibi," the Demon Fox retorted sarcastically.

"Hachibi?" Naruto scratched his head.

"Never mind." Kurama was disappointed that Naruto didn't get his attempt at sarcasm, but then again, he was just a kid. "Any way, yes, you are dead."

"You said 'nah!'"

"Shut up and listen, brat!"

"R-Right..."

"I did just enough to keep your heart from entirely stopping," said Kurama roughly. "You'll live. But next time you go ahead and get yourself killed like that... there's no guarantee I'll be able to be there in time again."

"So... I'm alive?"

"... Pretty much. Just don't be so careless, you idiot," Kurama sighed. "If you die, I'll die too. Remember that when you charge into battle, you stupid little yellow-haired human. There are two lives at stake here, not just yours!"

"Like a pregnant mother!"

"No! No!" The great Fox groaned. His container's analogies were worst than Madara Uchiha's sense of humor. Briefly, Kurama wondered how he'd gotten stuck with such a container. Oh yeah. Madara Uchiha. The man he had been thinking about just three seconds ago. The Kyuubi grunted angrily at the thought of the ancient man.

"When can I... like... you know... wake up?"

"I don't know," Kurama answered honestly.

Naruto shook his head with a sigh. "But being here is boring-"

"Be grateful you're even alive, you brat!" The demon spat.

Naruto sighed and nodded.

* * *

"Itachi, report."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was tense. Did they get Sasuke back? Was Naruto okay?

"Y-Yes." Itachi was visibly shaken. Hiruzen did not like the appearance of his top Jonin, not at all. "We got Sasuke Uchiha back... but Naruto Uzumaki... Naruto... Naruto... he..."

Hiruzen gasped as a tear fell down Itachi's eye.

"Naruto Uzumaki... is... dead."

* * *

**Nah, he's not. **

**Quite a twist, huh? Sasuke getting the Mangekyo - but then again, he did 'kill' his best friend. **

**Question of the Day: Who is your favorite member within the Akatsuki? Mine has to be Deidara, that sexy beast. No homo, he's just sexy, really. **

**In the next chapter, Naruto is magically revived and the mission is concluded. Meanwhile, Hiruzen makes an important decision. What will it be? **

**See you all in the next chapter. **


	51. Hiruzen's Decision: Jiraiya's Return

**This chapter marks the start of the Search for Tsunade Arc. **

**I only realized it was Chapter 50 last chapter just minutes after uploading it. What a milestone. :) **

**This chapter is a little bit fast-paced. Bear with me. The Search for Tsunade Arc is not an arc I particularly enjoyed, but I will try my best to write it nonetheless. **

_**Solareon**_**: Thank you! :D**

_**Pyr00tje**_**: Probably, but remember, in the canon Sasuke Retrieval Arc, Naruto only had the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Rasengan ;) **

_**Awais**_**: If you get all sad and unfocused during work and break something - and then someone comes in and resolves your sadness, will the thing remain broken? There's your answer ;) **

**_Rain Dove_: I missed your reviews. Unfortunately I am the type of writer who will just make things worst by re-writing, although I will have to consider that. And I know what you mean about Naruto being an overnight Kage thing... seriously. **

_**FrozenFlamingFire**_**: Yeah, I wish Tobi was really a good boy :/ **

**Thanks to _guest, Solareon, Pyr00tje, S.R.457, hi1235, Awais, Rain Dove, FrozenFlamingFire, The True Not Important, Guest, tamu, KAYKAY22PRINCESS_ and _Hachibi8tails_ for the reviews!**

* * *

Itachi Uchiha paced around. Finally, he stopped and fell onto the chair, placing his head in his hands. In front of him was the operating room of the Konoha hospital, and the sign of 'Operating' was still glowing a bright red.

"Coffee?"

Itachi looked up to lock gazes with a familiar masked ninja.

Kakashi Hatake gave him his signature eye-smile.

Gratefully, Itachi took the coffee from his fellow Jonin, gulping it down.

"So... how's Naruto?"

Itachi stared worriedly at the 'Operating' sign. "I don't know."

It had already been a day after the mission. Sasuke was back, but threatened by immense chakra exhaustion and was rushed to hospital immediately. Sakura was still unconscious - although expected to wake up any time now with her life out of danger - and Naruto...

Itachi frowned. Sasuke had told him how he'd used a Cursed Seal enhanced Chidori and struck home - there was no way Naruto was alive.

Fortunately, the Hokage had sense to check on the boy's heartbeat and breath instead of focusing on the hole in his stomach. Naruto was alive, and had been rushed to be operated on.

"Don't worry." Kakashi smiled. "It won't let Naruto die."

"It?"

"The Kyuubi," Kakashi shrugged. "It's obvious. If Naruto dies, it dies too. So it'll be doing everything it can to save it's container."

"You've got a point, but I can't help worrying." Itachi sighed.

The Copy Ninja nodded. "I guess. A Chidori went through him, after all." He gave Itachi an apologetic look.

Noticing this, Itachi quickly said, "I wanted you to teach Sasuke the Chidori. It isn't your fault Naruto's inside there now because of that jutsu... No one thought something like this would happen."

The one-eyed man smiled.

Before he could reply, the 'Operating' sign darkened, and Itachi jumped to his feet.

A doctor emerged, giving the prodigy a nod. "Naruto's life is out of danger."

Falling back into the chair he had just been sitting on, Itachi sighed in relief.

* * *

"Naruto Uzumaki used the Summoning Jutsu... summoning the toad known as Gamahiro to aid him in the battle against Sasuke..." Jiraiya read off the report with interest. "Naruto used the Summoning Jutsu, you say? And to summon Gamahiro? Wow. I'm impressed."

The man read on.

"Jiraiya, I asked you here today to discuss matters unrelated to Naruto," Hiruzen sighed.

Jiraiya pouted as he placed the report down on the Hokage's desk, and Hiruzen rolled his eyes.

"What's up, old man?"

The Sandaime paused, considering what his former student's answer would be.

Jiraiya stared at him, wondering what his question was.

Finally, Hiruzen spoke.

"I think... I'm ready to retire. And I want you, Jiraiya, to resume duties as the Fifth Hokage."

"Wait, what?" Jiraiya stared at Hiruzen. "How very abrupt."

"Yes," Hiruzen chuckled. "The Sand and the Sound's invasion of the Leaf... I've been thinking about retiring since then."

"Why?"

"Orochimaru said something about my age and how I should be retired already," Hiruzen said embarrassingly. "After our battle, I realized he was right." He smoked on his pipe. "Without Kakashi, Itachi, Guy and Asuma, I would not be here at this moment."

"And?"

"I am old." Hiruzen continued. "I am not as strong as I used to be. The Hokage must be the strongest in the village. That's why I feel... after that battle with Orochimaru, that it's high time I retired."

Jiraiya snorted. "Come on, old man. Just a few words from Orochimaru and you're done?"

"It is fact, Jiraiya." Hiruzen nodded sagely at his own words. "So? Will you accept-"

"No."

"Ouch." The older of the two winced, and then frowned. "That was rather direct."

"You were rather direct too," Jiraiya pointed out. "But I'm not interested in being the Hokage. You should have known that by now."

"Yes, yes," Hiruzen sighed. Part of him was delighted Jiraiya had declined - imagine the horror if the Hokage was caught peeping at women in the village's own hot springs. However, another part of him was also disappointed.

"So is that all you asked me here for?"

"No," Hiruzen revealed. "I am adamant that I want to retire."

Jiraiya shook his head, muttering something about the Third being a "stubborn old man".

"If you don't want to replace me, you are going to have to find a replacement for me." _Ha, he won't be able to do that. The best Jonin in our village is either Kakashi or Itachi, and if Jiraiya comes in with them I'll say they're too young. This way, he has to be the Hokage. I just have to make sure he doesn't continue doing that shameless thing of peeping into bathhouses once he becomes the Godaime... _

"Okay."

"Okay?" Hiruzen frowned.

Jiraiya smirked. "The Legendary Sannin did not comprise of me and Orochimaru alone, you know. I will find her."

"Her?" Hiruzen shook his head, laughing. "That's impossible. She'll never want to-"

"I know." The Toad Sage grinned. "That's why I'll be bringing him. He's really good at convincing people, so I heard."

"Him?"

Jiraiya simply looked back and shot his old sensei a huge grin, and jumped out of the office window.

The Third sighed.

* * *

In Tanzaku Town of the Land of Fire, a certain Tsunade Senju sneezed.

"Tsunade-sama, are you catching a cold?" Shizune asked worriedly.

"Of course not," was the snorting reply.

* * *

"Jiraiya, the kid's awake."

"Really? Hm."

Naruto opened his eyes slowly.

_Where am I? _

Seconds later, he recognized his location as Konoha Hospital.

There was an aching pain in his stomach, and Naruto instinctively slipped his hand down to clutch the spot. Instead of his skin, there was the papery feeling of bandages.

Suddenly, a figure leaped in through the window, giving Naruto the shock of his life. Outside the window was a giant red toad, much to Naruto's surprise. After blinking for awhile, he realized who it was.

"Boss!"

Gamabunta stuck his head into the window, careful not to damage the hospital walls. "Hello, kid."

"Oi!"

Naruto turned to the front. Jiraiya grinned at him, striking his usual comical pose.

"Pervy Sage!"

Jiraiya frowned at the nickname, but decided to put that aside for now. "How's your injuries, Naruto?"

"Injuries?" Naruto questioned. "... Oh yeah... Wait, where is Sasuke? How is Sasuke? Did Itachi-sensei bring him back? Huh?"

Seeing the blonde jumping into panic mode, Jiraiya quickly revealed what he knew of the mission outcome. Naruto sank back into his bed in relief knowing that Sasuke had returned.

"T-Then... what about Sakura-chan? Is she alright?"

"Who is Sakura?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know her..." Naruto smiled. "She's this really cute, smart, good-looking..."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow as Naruto continued giving his teammate compliments, finding his thoughts on this particular teammate of his familiar. After Naruto seemed finished with his description, he jumped to his feet.

"I'm going to see what happened to the rest of the squad."

"Relax, kid," Jiraiya gave him a disapproving look. "From what I've read in the mission report, every single member of the squad returned safely. Now sit down and rest."

Reluctantly, Naruto relaxed back into his bed. "Why did you come, Pervy Sage?"

"Well, I'm here to see if you're fine, of course. Also, I want to bring you along with me on a quick journey."

"Must I come?"

"Yes."

"No."

Jiraiya sighed. Why was this boy being so difficult to handle? "We are going to find the next Hokage! You should be honored you're being chosen for something like this!"

Naruto was genuinely surprised. He and Jiraiya were complete strangers just two months ago, and now the Pervy Sage was ready to bring him on some journey to find the next Hokage.

"Wait, did you say next Hokage?"

"Yep. The old man's retiring."

"Old man?" Naruto looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Old man Hokage?"

"Who else?" Jiraiya chuckled. "We'll be leaving right after you recover."

"I haven't said yes!"

Jiraiya shrugged, simply exiting through the window again. "See ya, kid!"

"Stupid pervert..."

* * *

Orochimaru breathed heavily.

The pain all over his body was impossible to disregard.

"What... what's the situation... Kabuto?"

Kabuto looked worriedly at his master. "You took a direct Amaterasu even before recovering from another. To be honest... the report isn't good-"

"Just tell me," Orochimaru hissed.

"R-Right." Kabuto agreed, feeling intimidated. "Well... according to the tests I've done... you won't able to recover fully again."

"What?!"

Kabuto took a few steps back, a little afraid Orochimaru would kill him in rage. "U-Unless, of course, you get treated by a person with one of the best medical skills in the world."

"Where? Where can I find such a person?" Orochimaru said angrily. Then his lips broke into an evil smirk. "Ah... yes. How could I forget?"

"Huh?"

"My old teammate... Tsunade..." The snake-like man got off the bed he was on, wincing. "Kabuto, get ready. We're leaving!"

* * *

In just another week, Naruto was officially discharged from hospital, although he had escaped two days early.

He hadn't seen Sasuke or Sakura yet, which was a disappointment. However, Itachi had visited, and updated him about his other two teammates. Naruto was relieved to find out they were both okay.

Unfortunately, Sasuke and Sakura had to wait. The Pervy Sage was adamant about leaving right after he was officially discharged.

Now currently with a small backpack and his ninja tools, Naruto waited at the gates. Jiraiya soon arrived.

"Must I really go?" Naruto questioned, as the duo walked past the guard and through the giant gates.

"Don't worry," the older man winked. "I will be teaching you a super strong jutsu, so it will be worth your time."

Hearing this, Naruto's eyes sparkled.

"Alright! Let's go on this mission thing to find the next Hokage! Yeah!"

_Ah, this boy is so easy to convince, _Jiraiya smirked. _But then again... it's high time to see the Rasengan being used by another living being besides myself. Isn't that right, Minato?_ He smiled at the thought of his former favorite student.

"Where are we heading first, Pervy Sage?"

"Hm..." Jiraiya considered the question for a moment, and then looked up ahead. "Shukuba Town."

* * *

**Moar short chapters! Yes, the only long chapters I can write are probably just fight scenes. Unfortunately.**

**Question of the Day: If you were a ninja, what would be your preferred chakra natures? **

**Mine would be Fire and Wind. Both are badass. **

**In the next chapter, Naruto and Jiraiya reach the first location of their journey, but in pursuit of the Kyuubi, the Akatsuki quickly reappears in the same location. Can Naruto defend himself from the Akatsuki? See you in the next chapter. **


	52. Shark Prey: Kisame of the Akatsuki

**Raged over one of the reviews that was given after publication of Chapter 51. This review is over Chapters 1 to 14. Because this is the worst flame I've ever read in awhile, be prepared for a small rant. Please skip through this if you are not interested. **

**Under the name of _headsupdisplay_ and _Guest_ this anonymous reviewer said my story had 'plot holes', after only reading up until Chapter 14. Okay, cool. Then he tells me to 'STOP WRITING' in literal caps. **

**That got me pissed off. **

**Especially, since his review was 3/4 made up of shit. **

**Please, _headsupdisplay_, kindly learn what PRONUNCIATION is, and also maybe you could show me what kind of shit you've written before trying to tell me to 'STOP WRITING'. Until then, unfortunately, I'm going to have to tell you to fuck off. **

**I also hope you will read this, and get your own FanFiction account so I can actually respond to more of your flames via PM, instead of having to waste chapter space. **

**I really, really hope he reads this and responds. It would be nice to see what kind of shit he can throw back at me. Come at me, _headsupdisplay_.**

**I really enjoy having constructive criticism, but having a messed-up tool coming in to tell me to 'STOP WRITING' and point out what is wrong with my chapter with zero sense of punctuation, I just lose my head. Apologies. **

**Also, it's one flame in 40-50 reviews, so I must be doing something right. ;) **

**Because this unneeded rant has already wasted so much Author's Note space, I will not be adding to it and responding to reviews. If you really want a response you can leave me a PM. However, do note that I go through every single review and enjoy every word, unless the words are 'STOP WRITING'. Thank you guys! **

* * *

Deidara and Sasori entered the hideout.

As they did, Sasori discarded his Hiruko armor, connecting chakra strings to the puppet and maneuvering it to a corner.

"Doesn't it get hot in there, Sasori, my man?"

Sasori grunted, and Deidara took his partner's answer as a yes.

Konan walked into sight, carrying a tray. "Cookies?" She smiled. When Deidara and Sasori stared at her, the blue-haired woman glared back. "Fine." She walked away.

"Actually, I think I'll take one, hm."

Too late, Konan was gone.

The figure of a seemingly spiky-haired person flickered into view. Sasori nudged his younger partner, urging him to stand at attention.

"Greetings, Sasori, Deidara."

"Leader-sama." The Suna redhead nodded.

"I called you here today to talk about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Oh." Deidara's eye fell to his left sleeve, feeling embarrassed and almost ashamed. Almost.

"Well, now, obviously because of Deidara..." The leader made it a point to glare at Deidara as his name was being said, causing the former terrorist to twitch under his gaze. "... Konoha knows about the Akatsuki."

"Yes." Sasori confirmed.

"This means the Leaf will now be more guarded against strangers who enter the village. However, I have received news that Naruto is on some journey with one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. This would be the perfect time to abduct him."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sasori quizzed.

"The Legendary Sannin, hm?" Deidara frowned.

"That's the exact reason I called you two here today," said the leader, addressing Sasori's question. "Two other members will hunt down the Nine-Tails. You two can sit back and relax for now."

"Whaaaat?"

"Do not question, Deidara." Sasori glared at his partner. "It is your fault we are being relieved of this duty, you know."

"Sasori is right. Please, do try to be more careful next time, Deidara."

"Tch." The former Iwa ninja turned. "Fine."

Sasori sighed. "Such a child..."

Nodding to the leader, who disappeared in a flicker, he returned to the safety of the Hiruko armor, and chased after Deidara, who had exited the hideout.

* * *

Naruto glared at the water balloon.

The water balloon seemed to be glaring back at him.

"I'm going to crush you," Naruto growled, as if fighting an enemy.

The blonde and his new teacher, Jiraiya, was in Shukuba Town at the moment, searching for some 'beautiful woman', as Jiraiya claimed, named Tsunade. She was apparently going to be the Godaime.

However, with Naruto pestering him for a demonstration of the new technique, Jiraiya had used it on a tree.

"Rasengan!" He'd yelled, and Naruto was in awe. A blue sphere had appeared in the hand of the Pervy Sage, and he had slammed the sphere into a tree, creating a deep spiral hole.

The first step to mastering this awesome-looking jutsu was, according to the old Sage, to burst a water balloon with only one hand - using chakra to spin the water within.

Naruto proceeded.

He frowned. It didn't seem to be working.

A knock on the door ceased his practice, and Naruto placed the water balloon in the bathtub, along with all the other water balloons Jiraiya had gathered.

He rushed to open the door, wondering who in the world it could be. Jiraiya was out having a blast at some pub, but he had the keys.

Opening the door, Naruto's first impression was mainly afraid.

The man on the other side had a sickening smile on his face. What scared Naruto however, was his blue skin and sharp teeth. In his right hand, the stranger carried some object, but his back hid the majority of it from Naruto's sight.

A forehead protector on the man informed Naruto of his loyalty to Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village.

But as Naruto took a closer look, he found that the symbol of Kiri was slashed.

"It looks like you were right for once... heh heh." The tall, grinning man spoke. The door was pushed open fully, his attire shown off - a black cloak, with decorated red clouds. "It seems the great Jiraiya is indeed absent."

_Pervy Sage? _Naruto thought.

"This will make our task a lot easier," he continued, smirking.

"But of course, Kisame-senpai!"

Another figure joined the man named Kisame. He wore an orange, spiral-patterned mask.

"Don't get too excited... Tobi."

Kisame revealed the object on his back. It was some kind of sword, with bandages wrapped around it. "The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki," he murmured, with a smile on his face that rivaled Orochimaru's. "This should be fun."

"Who are you guys?" Naruto was gripped by fear, but reminded himself that he was a Chunin of Konoha. With that knowledge, he steeled himself.

"We are going to have to catch you and take that Kyuubi inside of you! Sorry! Haha!" Tobi said, laughing sheepishly.

"Tobi, shut up," Kisame replied to his partner's words with an annoyed tone.

Naruto got into a basic taijutsu position. "T-The Kyuubi?"

"I think I'm going to cut off a leg or two so he can't run." Kisame said menacingly.

"Careful, Kisame-senpai! We are supposed to capture him alive!"

"I know, I know." He did a few hand seals. "Let's see what you've got... Nine-Tails."

"W-Woah! Wait, wait, wait!" Naruto yelled.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!"

Naruto jumped out of the way as a large amount of water gushed out of Kisame's mouth.

Unsheathing his sword, Naruto positioned himself again.

He soon found out, though, that the Raging Waves jutsu was not an attack.

"Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"

The huge puddle that had come as a result of the Raging Waves took the shape of a shark and jumped towards Naruto.

"Gah!" He ducked, and the shark crashed through the room walls instead, creating a hole.

Kisame charged at Naruto.

"Meet Samehada!" He laughed madly, swinging the weapon in his hands.

Naruto dived aside, and instead a bigger hole appeared in the wall as Kisame drove through.

Tobi now came forward, tackling Naruto into the hole, ensuring he followed after Kisame.

Naruto couldn't stop his screams, until he landed into the arms of Kisame, who smirked at him.

With a yelp, he kicked the blue-skinned man away.

Tobi landed soon after.

"Tobi, I'll handle this." Kisame declared. "I haven't cut anything for quite awhile now!"

"Right, Kisame-senpai." The masked man said cheerfully. "I'll just relax in these hot springs then!"

Naruto turned, now realizing they were in the hotel's hot springs, conveniently closed for apparent renovation.

"No," Kisame sighed. "I need to use the hot springs for my attacks, you idiot."

"Oh, yeah! Right, I guess I'll just watch from the side." Tobi's tone was laced with disappointment as he threw his cloak back on.

"Now!" The swordsman did a few hand seals. "Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"

From the water of the hot springs came a shark, made entirely of hot water. Naruto found himself yelping again, and tried to use his sword to defend himself from the incoming shark bomb.

Unfortunately, it exploded in his face, dousing him with hot water and throwing him back.

"Water Style: Four Shark Shower."

From the water rose tiny water droplets shaped into sharks. Kisame jerked his hand forward and they flew towards Naruto like water missiles.

He swiped his sword, brushing them off, but they exploded into even tinier sharks, and hit him.

Unfortunately for Kisame, Naruto turned into a log.

"Hm?" The Akatsuki man turned. "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" He screamed quickly, and from the hot springs, a water tornado emerged and flew towards the incoming Naruto, who had to cease his attack on Kisame to dodge the jutsu.

"So he uses the Water Style," Naruto muttered. His sword glowed. "Wind Style: Razor Wind!"

Kisame waved his Samehada, countering the sharp air waves.

Particularly interested in Naruto's kenjutsu, Kisame attacked, his bandaged weapon raised up high.

To the former Kiri nin's surprise, Naruto defended himself by clashing his sword against Samehada. _This kid... he must use a sword pretty often. _

Kisame kicked out, but Naruto was one step ahead, already on the ground.

The shark man was suddenly kicked in the chin, resulting in him being tossed into the air by the blow.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto was up on his feet immediately. Two clones appeared beside him and jumped into the air, one punching Kisame in the chin. The other clone kicked his opponent down towards the original Naruto.

Not wasting any time, he seized the opportunity.

"Rasengan!"

Nothing appeared.

Kisame glanced at Naruto's hand warily, then to Naruto himself, who had a disappointed look in his eyes. _Did his jutsu fail? Ha, this kid is hilarious._ He brushed himself off from the punch and kick he'd received earlier. _His fighting style is... unique. _

_Fine,_ Naruto mentally huffed._ If the Rasengan won't work..._

He ran forward, attempting to strike Kisame, but was countered by Samehada.

As Naruto moved, he felt a stinging pain in his stomach that forced him back.

_That's... the wound from the Chidori! It hasn't completely healed yet, it seems..._

Seeing his opponent somehow weakened, Kisame grinned, showing off his sharp teeth.

"Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"

A gigantic shark bomb jumped out of the hot springs and shot towards it's intended target.

"Kisame-senpai!" Tobi said in alarm from the side. "That shark's huge! Will it kill him?"

Before Kisame could reply, there was a cry of "Summoning Jutsu!" and a green toad appeared in front of Naruto equipped with a giant shield, defending the blonde from the shark bomb.

"What?"

Naruto looked up.

A white-haired man stood on top of the green toad, striking a pose.

"Pervy Sage!"

Jiraiya grinned. "Yo!"

Gripping onto Samehada, Kisame backed away. "Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin, eh?"

His smile tugging into a frown, Jiraiya glared at Kisame. "Are you... the Akatsuki?"

"So you know of our organization. I'm not surprised." Kisame turned to Tobi. "However much I would like to pit myself against a Sannin... I am no match for one. Tobi, it's time to leave."

"O-kay, Kisame-senpai!"

"Wait!" Jiraiya began to do hand seals.

"Water Clone Jutsu!"

Two Kisame clones attacked Jiraiya and his toad summoning. Naruto tried to go in pursuit, but the Akatsuki duo had disappeared.

"Who were they?" He questioned, as the old pervert dispersed the last clone by slamming his head into the ground.

In response, Jiraiya only smiled grimly.

* * *

Three figures flickered into view.

"Kisame, Tobi. Report."

"Yes." Kisame said respectfully, addressing the apparent leader. "We found and targeted the Nine-Tails in the absence of Jiraiya, but we took too long in the capture and Jiraiya returned."

"And you retreated," the leader finished. "Wise decision."

Kisame nodded, acknowledging the man's praise. "What shall we do about the Nine-Tails then?"

"We will worry about that later. For now, assemble at this time tomorrow. We are discussing something fresh."

"Sounds interesting."

"Right. Dismiss."

Two of the figures disappeared, as quickly as they'd appeared.

The last of the trio stared hard into space.

"Jiraiya-sensei... huh."

* * *

**I hope you liked the short battle between Kisame and Naruto. I really enjoy writing fights. I don't know why. **

**Question of the Day: What is your favorite jutsu of all time in the Naruto world? **

**In the next chapter, Tsunade meets up with an old pal. The question is - which one? Meanwhile, Naruto continues training to master the Rasengan. See you all in the next chapter. **


	53. Orochimaru's Offer: Tsunade's Dilemma

**I love how the reviewers are always so supportive. Thank you. **

_**Lin**_**: And I'm glad I got your well-deserved review :) **

_**FrozenFlamingFire**_**: Perfectly normal, my friend ;) **

_**WaterDrop**_**: Your review is just EPIC. Hahahah**

**Thanks to _NTA FANFIC, Lin, S.R.457, FrozenFlamingFire, hi1235, WaterDrop, Awais, Guest, leafstone_ and _fdch_ for the reviews! **

* * *

"Where are we heading now, Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya turned to his newest pupil. "We are heading out to a place called Tanzaku Town."

Naruto had a water balloon in his hand, and was relentlessly trying to make it explode.

"You can't do that while we're walking, idiot," Jiraiya pointed out. "To complete this exercise, you need concentration-"

The water balloon exploded, spraying water all over Naruto's face and hair.

He smirked at Jiraiya, whose eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "You were saying?"

_Unbelievable. Has he inherited your genius mind too, Minato? _

"Not bad for a kid, I suppose." The older man grinned. "Well, bursting the water balloon is just the first step. There are three steps in total in order to master the Rasengan."

Naruto's face fell. "So there are two more steps?"

"Yeah, kid. Do you think mastering jutsu is that easy?" Jiraiya snorted. "I'll tell you all about it when we get there."

The duo continued their stroll through the Land of Fire.

"Hey... Pervy Sage... you haven't told me about them." Naruto frowned, turning and looking up to look at the Sage's face. "Who were those guys?"

Jiraiya tried to think up an answer, but couldn't find one.

"You don't have to worry about them yet, Naruto."

Naruto glared at Jiraiya. "Come on, I wanna know."

"You will, soon enough." He squinted his eyes. "There, Tanzaku Town is in sight. Let's hurry."

Jiraiya sprinted forward. Grumbling, Naruto followed.

* * *

"Wow! Tsunade-sama, you're on a winning streak!"

Tonton oinked in excitement, while Shizune was now smiling broadly.

Contrary to her apprentice though, Tsunade had a frown on her face. The fellow gamblers around her was staring at their wallets in dismay. This was supposed to be the Legendary Sucker! How were they losing?

"Shizune, it's time to leave."

The blonde arose, and exited.

"Oh... right." Shizune followed her master quickly.

_I'm on a winning streak,_ Tsunade registered Shizune's words._ Does this mean... something's bad going to... _

"Shizune, let's leave," she said quickly.

"Eh? But..."

"No buts! Let's go!" Tsunade exclaimed fiercely.

Shizune was taken aback by her outburst, but quickly nodded.

The two walked past the Tanzaku Castle. Shizune marveled at the sight of the town's most famous tourist attraction.

However, her admiration of the beautifully decorated castle was soon cut short, as it exploded, throwing Tsunade and Shizune back.

Tsunade gritted her teeth. _I knew it... _

They waited for the smoke to clear, and as soon as it did, two men appeared in their sights.

One had long hair, pale skin and a twisted smirk. Another was bespectacled, possessed the Oto forehead protector, and looked somewhat nerdy.

"It's been awhile... Tsunade."

"Orochimaru." Tsunade glared at her former teammate. She wasn't one for formalities, especially with a missing-nin, and got straight to the point. "What do you want?"

"What, you can't even give me a simple hello?"

Shizune prepared herself for a battle, sensing one about to come.

"I have no interest in discussing anything with you." Tsunade replied coldly.

"I thought so." Orochimaru chuckled mockingly.

The two Sannin stared each other down.

Shizune then attacked, a needle in her hand.

Kabuto jumped forward.

Needle and kunai clashed.

"Shizune! Stay back."

Glaring at Kabuto, Shizune leaped back.

"You need to teach your pupil manners, Tsunade-sama," Kabuto smirked.

Tsunade glared at the silver-haired man and issued a harsh warning. "Say that one more time and I'll kill you."

Kabuto wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "Fair enough," he simply said, adjusting his spectacles.

Seeing that the storm had somewhat settled, Orochimaru started his explanation.

"I'm not one to beat around the bush. I want you to heal me."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Heal you? From what?"

In response, the snake summoner ripped off his top, displaying severe burn marks all over his chest. Tsunade studied them as best as she could from afar. _They don't look like normal burns... _

"The wounds inflicted by the legendary Uchiha technique... the Amaterasu."

Unable to resist a small smirk from taking over her face, Tsunade let it show.

"The Amaterasu? Ha, you've gotten old, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru's evil smile turned into a frown. "You're one to talk... Tsunade." He looked down at the wounds on his body. "Besides... it's not like the Amaterasu is an easy jutsu to avoid."

"And why can't the great Orochimaru-sama function with these wounds?" The blonde Sannin asked with a dismissive wave. "I'm sure they'll heal. You don't have to come to me."

"For a Sannin, you are quite the idiot," Kabuto spoke up. "It is impossible for the wounds of Amaterasu to heal with time-"

Tsunade was suddenly in the air on top of him, her foot stretched out and raised. "Heaven Kick of Pain!"

Kabuto dived to the side swiftly, as the ground he was standing on exploded as soon as Tsunade's foot made contact.

"Still as feisty as before," Orochimaru laughed.

"I simply think our conversation can be better continued without your prick of a subordinate over there."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up. "Excuse me?"

Ignoring him, Tsunade looked up at Orochimaru. "So you want me to heal your Amaterasu wounds... correct?"

Orochimaru grinned creepily. "Yes."

"And what makes you think I would accept such a thing?" Tsunade scoffed. "At your full power, you will only return to Konoha and attempt to destroy it again, isn't that right?"

"That, I can't deny. So, are you willing to heal me, or not?"

"Why would I?" The well-endowed woman turned, walking away. "Shizune, let's go."

"Wait."

Tsunade stopped, turning. "I believe I said I was unwilling to heal you. If you want to take me by force, you can try. I'll pummel you and Four Eyes over there into pieces."

The killing intent in her words were easy to detect. Orochimaru chuckled.

"Did you really think I would have approached you if I didn't have something to give in return?"

Tsunade stared at her former teammate in silence, a sign for him to continue.

"I have mastered the Second Hokage's technique." He smiled sickeningly. "The Reanimation technique."

Shizune glanced at her master, having not heard of that jutsu before. Apparently, Tsunade had, for her eyes widened, before they turned into a frown.

"The Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation?"

"Yes."

"And? So what?"

"Nawaki. Dan."

The big-breasted woman twitched as Orochimaru spoke the names of her beloved ones.

"I can bring them back to life."

"What?" Shizune questioned.

"I can use the Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation to bring Nawaki and Dan back to life... if you heal my wounds, of course." Orochimaru smirked. _Heh. She can't refuse this. _"It's a win-win solution."

"Hm..."

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune piped up in alarm. "You can't!"

"Be quiet," the pale man hissed. He turned, walking away and motioning for Kabuto to follow.

"I will give you three days... three days to think about my offer. I will be back."

* * *

Jiraiya and Naruto sat in the room of the inn.

"This, is the next step." Jiraiya got out a rubber ball. "You're going to have to break it, in the same manner as you broke the water balloon."

Naruto laughed. "Are you joking? You can't-"

The rubber ball burst, and pieces of rubber fell all over the ground. Naruto's jaw dropped.

Getting out another rubber ball, Jiraiya threw it to Naruto. "You can always ask me for help, you know." He grinned lecherously. "But then of course, you have to show me that Sexy Jutsu of yours again! Hehehe!"

Scowling, Naruto turned away. "I'm going to be the Hokage someday! If I don't master a simple thing like this by myself, I can't refer to myself as a Chunin of Konoha, much less the Hokage!"

"You've got guts, kid," the Toad Sannin admitted with a smile. _Just like Kushina. _

Naruto focused on his task.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu." A clone of Jiraiya poofed into existence, while the original exited through the window of the inn.

"Huh?"

Seeing Naruto's questioning look, the Jiraiya clone grinned. "I'm here to keep an eye on you in case we get a nasty run-in again." He sat against the chair and yawned.

"Sounds good," the blonde shrugged, and continued.

Six minutes passed.

Nothing happened.

Annoyed, Naruto flung the ball into the air aimlessly.

It sailed towards the window that Jiraiya had exited through earlier, and crashed through the transparent glass.

"Uh oh."

"Stupid kid," the clone muttered, adding a face-palm for good measure.

"You got another rubber ball?" Naruto asked sheepishly.

Rolling his eyes, the clone dug into his original's backpack, bringing out another rubber ball and throwing it at Naruto.

"Don't get too frustrated doing this, Naruto," Jiraiya laid back. "The Fourth Hokage spent three years perfecting the Rasengan. It's not something you can complete in a day. Sure, you completed the water balloon exercise in a day, but..."

"Just be patient," Naruto remarked. "I'll master this in hours!"

"Sure, whatever," the clone rolled his eyes.

Jiraiya returned in an hour, dispersing the clone.

He lied on his bed, taking a nap. When he woke up three hours later, Naruto was still at it, throwing all his attention and focus into the rubber ball.

_Well, I guess it's good that he's practicing. _

* * *

"Oi! Pervy Sage!"

"Eh?"

Jiraiya's right eye slowly opened.

A loud snap jerked him awake.

Pieces of rubber fell onto his face.

Standing on his bed in front of him was Naruto laughing his head off, a piece of rubber on his hand. "I did it, Pervy Sage! I mastered the second step of the Rasengan!"

Jumping off the bed, ignoring Jiraiya's dazed expression, Naruto put what he'd learnt into his right hand.

"Rasengan!"

A miniature sphere of whirling blue chakra came into existence on his right palm.

_Holy..._ Jiraiya stared at the Rasengan. _It's nowhere near complete, but it's a start! _ He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, convinced he was still dreaming, but he wasn't. _Heck, when I started learning this... I took a whole year to make even the smallest Rasengan... and this kid has done it in a day! _

"There's still one more step, right?"

"Oh yeah," Jiraiya threw the covers off, getting out of bed, and noticed the boy's panda eyes. _Did he... practice the whole night?_

"I'll tell you about it later."

* * *

The duo checked out of their inn, and started walking towards a particular direction.

"Where are we going, Pervy Sage?"

"Oh." Jiraiya grinned. "Well, if my sources are right... the woman we're looking for should be right around... here."

Naruto looked up. "A bar?"

"She's a heavy drinker."

The Chunin frowned at the explanation. "A heavy drinker can become Hokage?"

His older companion couldn't resist a chuckle, and simply nodded his head before pushing the door to the bar open.

Naruto entered, and immediately a man who appeared to be extremely drunk stumbled past him with a crazy grin plastered on his lips. The spiky-haired boy shook his head.

Tsunade sipped at her alcohol absentmindedly. Shizune was out exploring the town, so she had to take the opportunity to drink as much as she could.

Then, something familiar caught her eye. She looked up, frowning at the sight.

"Yo!"

Tsunade regarded her former teammate with nothing more than a glance and the speaking of his name, before going back to her drink. "Jiraiya."

"Tsunade," Jiraiya smirked. "You haven't aged a bit! The only thing that's grown is your chest-" He stopped, starting to sweat as Tsunade looked back up at him and gave him a death glare.

"Is this the 'beautiful woman' we're looking for?" Naruto asked, bounding over to the table.

Tsunade spared Naruto a glance as well. "Who's the kid?"

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Hm?" She stared at her fellow blonde, his name catching her attention, something that was rare these days. _Uzumaki? _

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto repeated, a little slowly this time.

"I heard you the first time, brat."

Annoyed by the woman's rudeness, Naruto took a seat and glared at her. Tsunade noticed this, and glared back.

Jiraiya took the last seat, smiling nervously as the two blondes glared each other down. _It seems they've got off to a good start. _

Now turning to the Sage, Tsunade began her questions. "Why are you here?"

Smiling wryly, he explained himself.

"The old man is retiring. Konoha wants you to return and replace Sarutobi-sensei as the Godaime Hokage-"

"Are you crazy?" Tsunade slammed her empty glass down.

It shattered into pieces. Naruto gasped, comparing it to the water balloon and rubber ball he'd exploded with his chakra before. Small cracks appeared on the table.

"Um," Jiraiya felt himself starting to perspire. "Calm down, Tsunade-hime."

"Tsunade-hime?" Naruto snorted.

"Be quiet, brat." Tsunade silenced Naruto with a glare.

Normally, anyone who came under her glare always looked away.

Unfortunately for the Senju woman, Naruto simply glared back.

The waiter came over, observing the shattered glass. "Is there a problem here?"

"No problem," Jiraiya smiled innocently, waving the waiter away.

"Why would I want to be the Hokage?"

Tsunade started chuckling softly, but neither Jiraiya or Naruto could find the humor in her laugh.

"Tell me, Jiraiya... What happened to the Shodaime? My grandfather...?"

Naruto scratched his head. _Grandfather?_

"... He died in a war."

"The Nidaime?"

"... In a war too."

"The Yondaime?"

Jiraiya's eyes shifted towards Naruto uneasily. "He died when the Kyuubi attacked the village."

Naruto looked down.

Tsunade noticed the two's sudden change, but decided not to question it. She instead rested her head on her palm, while her elbow rested on the table.

"Then, tell me, why would I become the Hokage if there is a high chance of my death?"

"What?" Naruto looked up. "But... the Hokage has to protect the village, even if at the cost of his life! That's what it means to be Hokage, isn't it?"

"Exactly, brat. Why would I want to die so young?"

"You're not young, you're already 51." Jiraiya pointed out.

"51?" The youngest among the three stared at Tsunade in disbelief. "... Nevermind."

"I don't want to die protecting someone, or something. I value my own life, unlike the Shodaime, the Nidaime, or the Yondaime," Tsunade continued harshly. "That is why, I will have to turn down-"

A fist slammed on the table.

"What do you mean by that, you old hag?" Naruto shrieked in her face.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Old hag?"

"I refuse to let you disrespect our predecessors!" Naruto now had one foot on his chair, and another foot on the table. He inched closer to Tsunade's face, making sure she could see his fierce glare.

"The Shodaime, Nidaime and Yondaime died by protecting the village! They are heroes! I'll not allow you to insult them like that!"

"What's it to you?" Tsunade laughed. "You're just a small brat."

"What's it to me? Well, I'm going to be the Hokage someday!" the sword-wielding Chunin continued, his thumb jabbed onto his chest. "Naruto Uzumaki is the name, remember it!"

This time, Tsunade laughed, her voice filling the entire bar.

Patrons turned to stare at the three. Jiraiya rolled his eyes at Naruto's antics. _Somehow, I don't think this is going to end well. _

"Hokage? You, Hokage? Don't make me laugh!"

"S-Shut up! I'm going to be the Hokage, believe it!"

Stopping her laughter, Tsunade smirked at him. "Why do you even dream to become something like that?" She got up and turned towards the exit of the bar, ready to leave. "What a pathetic dream... a waste of your life..."

Hearing this from the potential Hokage, Naruto jumped off the table and pointed a finger at her.

One could see the clear fury in his face.

"What did you say, you old Grandma?" He screamed at her retreating back. He stuck his right hand out, and chakra began to swirl within. "My dream... is not pathetic!"

"Heh."

Tsunade started to leave, unaware of the charging jutsu behind her.

"Naruto, stop!" Jiraiya spoke quickly.

Ignoring his words, Naruto finished his charge-up. A ping-pong ball-sized blue sphere came into view.

"Rasengan!"

* * *

**Well, that's the end of it. Probably the last chapter in awhile, because I'm heading overseas and I'll be back on Saturday. **

**Question of the Day: Hottest kunoichi in the series, according to you? ;) **

**In the next chapter, a bet is made and Naruto continues his learning of the Rasengan. Meanwhile, Tsunade makes her choice regarding Orochimaru's deal. See you all next time. **


	54. Tsunade's Necklace: Naruto's Gamble

**I was on a three-day-two-night school trip to Malacca so I couldn't update, but now I'm back. Another chapter of _Team Itachi_. Enjoy.**

_**TheOrangeStar802**_**: I wasn't very 'soon' but I'm back now! :) **

_**WaterDrop**_**: I don't know how to 'teach' people to be honest. It's just in my writing blood to write fighting scenes well :P **

_**Guest**_**: 'Awesome in the sack: Anko' hahaha definitely! **

_**FrozenFlamingFire**_**: Whaaaat? How can you not have a hot kunoichi in mind?! They're all so sexy :O **

_**Guest**_**: I have no idea why you think Itachi is underpowered. With the Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo, he's almost godly... almost. **

_**S.R.457**_**: You know that's not gonna happen ;) **

**Thanks to _zarni htet __7, TheOrangeStar803, WaterDrop, Guest, FrozenFlamingFire, Guest, S.R.457, akemiuchiha22_ and _entityoffire_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"Rasengan!"

Tsunade turned her head, and simply side-stepped. Naruto ended up crashing through the bar's door with his attack. He briefly heard a shout of "you're paying for that!" and hurriedly cancelled his technique.

The woman he had tried to attack stepped out.

"Tsunade-sama!"

Both blondes turned to see a raven-haired woman rushing towards them.

"Shizune..."

The newcomer jumped protectively in front of Tsunade, but blinked slowly as she saw what she'd presumed to be an attacker was just a mere 12 or 13-year-old child.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya rushed out hurriedly. He ran up to Naruto and smacked his head. "What do you think you are doing?"

Naruto reluctantly mumbled an apology he obviously didn't mean.

"Are you...?" Shizune stared at Jiraiya. Then she bowed respectfully. "You're the great Jiraiya-sama!"

"Ah, indeed!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes as Jiraiya struck his pose. "Jiraiya... why are you teaching this brat the Rasengan?" Her gaze briefly switched to an angry-looking Naruto. "It's obvious... he won't be able to master it at all."

Hearing this, Naruto yelled at her. "What did you say, you old lady?"

"The Rasengan is an A-Rank jutsu, one that can only be learnt by a powerful shinobi... this kid is anything but that! And he wants to become the Hokage... ha, don't make me laugh."

"That's enough, Tsunade." Jiraiya said, bringing a hand down to stop Naruto, who was about to jump forward for a second attack.

Seeing that he wouldn't be allowed to go near Tsunade again, Naruto decided to resort to words.

"Wait and see, you old hag! I'll master the Rasengan in just three days! And then you'll be forced to eat your words about the previous Hokage... and also acknowledge me as a strong shinobi!"

"Shut up, kid..." Jiraiya shook his head. _There is no way someone can master the Rasengan in three days! Even if he's completed the first two steps with little effort... _

"Three days, huh?" Tsunade laughed again.

"Yes!" Naruto roared, completely ignoring Jiraiya. "I will become the Hokage! I will master the Rasengan in three days! Three days!" He raised his hand, showing three fingers for emphasis. "A true Hokage... will not go back on his word! That is my ninja way!"

A pang of nostalgia shot through the blonde Sannin.

_Nawaki... _

Ignoring it, she brought up the necklace worn around her neck. "Fine. I will take you up on that bet."

Naruto frowned. "Huh?"

Shizune stared at the necklace in alarm.

Jiraiya regarded the piece of jewellery with a surprised stare. _So she still has that... _

"If you can complete the Rasengan in three days, you can have this necklace, and my acknowledgement..."

"Heh!" Naruto smirked. "I will do it!" _Who cares about that necklace? I'll just show her that I can do it, and then she'll be forced to eat her words! Ha! Old hag! _

"But if you lose, I get all your money."

It was Tsunade's turn to smirk as she revealed her possession of Naruto's wallet.

"Gama-chan!" He screamed.

Tsunade almost laughed.

_Gama-chan... Gama-chan... Tsk. _

"Well, I will see you in three days." Pocketing the wallet, Tsunade walked away.

Shizune found it hard to believe Tsunade was using the necklace as a betting piece. Seeing her mentor starting to depart, she began to hurry after, but Jiraiya stopped her and gave her a nod, before rushing after Tsunade himself.

_Never mind Naruto and his silly bet for now..._ The white-haired Sannin thought to himself, as he caught up to his old friend._ Now would be a good time to talk to Tsunade-hime... about THAT. _

* * *

"Rasengan!"

Naruto smashed the blue sphere into a tree, deepening a spiral-shaped hole that had already been there.

_No... this is not working! The Rasengan the Pervy Sage used was much, much bigger and more powerful! _

"Rasengan!"

The spiral-shaped hole deepened again.

He collapsed, panting, staring up at the full moon.

_What time is it...? It must be late... I've been practicing out here the whole night since I made that bet with the grandma... _

Naruto smiled as he felt his chakra quickly coming back to him.

_Well, I suppose there is a few benefits to having this Fox guy inside me. _He jumped up. "Rasengan!"

This time, the trunk of the tree was completely blown off, leaving only a stump. Naruto winced as the tree trunk crashed into another, resulting in an explosion of smoke.

But he was also elated. _That Rasengan I just did... it was bigger than my previous ones! _

_I left without asking the Pervy Sage what the third step for learning this jutsu was... but it seems intense practicing is good enough. _

Suddenly getting an idea, Naruto placed his fingers together in a cross. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Twenty clones appeared in the forest area. Seeing the large amount of trees around them, they immediately got to work.

"Rasengan!"

"Rasengan!"

"Rasengan!"

One clone was dispersed, and Naruto smiled as he looked up. _Just as I expected! When the clone disperses... his memories come back to me! So if I use my clones to practice, then I'll be able to master this jutsu faster! _

_Yeaaah! Go, Naruto, you genius! _

"Rasengan!"

The entire forest shook as Naruto slaughtered plants after plants.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Eh?"

Naruto turned, the small Rasengan in his hand quickly disappearing.

Shizune stared at the scene in front of her with widened eyes. Multiple Narutos were repeatedly destroying trees with the Rasengan.

_He's really practicing hard..._

Ignoring their loud cries and the sound of dying trees, she walked over.

"Hey, um... lady!" Naruto said sheepishly.

"Shizune," the medical-nin introduced herself with a smile.

Nodding, Naruto shot a grin at her. "What's up?"

Taking a seat on a nearby log, she was soon joined by Naruto, who gave her a quizzical look. "And how did you know where to find me?"

"By spending hours searching for you, and I eventually did."

"Oh... sorry," he chuckled, sheepishness returning into his tone as he ran a hand through his own hair. "So... what's up?"

Shizune's smile turned into a slight frown, and she sighed.

"I... I just don't want you to misunderstand Tsunade-sama."

* * *

Naruto jumped to his feet, awake. He looked down on the ground, seeing a smashed alarm clock. The ninja vaguely remembered doing the deed of smashing it into the wall and then throwing it onto the ground when it had rang.

He glanced towards the clock in the room, which read 2 in the afternoon.

"I overslept!"

Naruto immediately changed out of his pajamas, putting on his orange undershirt, pulling on his orange pants and then slipping on his Chunin vest.

Tying the Konoha forehead protector around his forehead as usual, he then exited through the open window, ready to train again. Naruto then thought about what Shizune had told him yesterday, and stopped.

Was that necklace really cursed?

Naruto found it creepy.

_At least now I know why that old woman is such a hot-tempered old lady. But still, does the death of her loved ones really give her the right to be worst than a 5-year-old? _

His thoughts were interrupted as he was tackled back into the room.

Jiraiya appeared on the window, looking drunk.

Naruto wanted to scream at him, but instead stared at his face. _Pervy Sage doesn't look drunk at all...! More like... weakened...? _

"There is no time to talk now," said the old Sage quickly, beckoning for Naruto to follow. "I will tell you on the way!"

He jumped away, allowing Naruto to exit through the window. Teacher and student leaped through the roofs of Tanzaku Town.

"Tsunade," Jiraiya sighed. "When I was out in town asking questions of her whereabouts, they told me how someone fitting her exact description was talking to another pale, long-haired, creepy-looking man."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Is that...?"

"I asked Tsunade about it last night. Apparently, he's trying to ask Tsunade to heal his wounds."

"Wounds?"

"Yes," Jiraiya nodded, not wanting to go into details at this moment. "If Tsunade heals him... he'll try to destroy Konoha again. That's why..."

Naruto stopped, frowning. "Wait, wait, wait, you don't mean to say that the one the old man wants as the Godaime is going to help that creepy snake guy destroy Konoha?"

Jiraiya sighed again. "I suppose she couldn't reject Orochimaru's offer."

"Offer? What kind of offer would make you agree to help destroy your own village?!" The Kyuubi container gritted his teeth, and balled his hands up into a tight fist. "And here I was thinking she was a decent enough person... I'm going to stop her!"

The duo continued on their way, with Jiraiya shaking his head.

"Orochimaru offered to revive her two most precious people."

Stopping again, Naruto's jaw hung open.

"Tsunade-hime... she hasn't gotten over their deaths, it seems."

* * *

Tsunade walked towards the destroyed remains of the Tanzaku Castle.

It was now under construction, supposedly to clear the rubble.

The man she was looking for stood beside the erected blockades that read 'keep out'. He was standing there, shooting that annoying grin at her, along with his prick of a subordinate.

"I thought you would come here," Orochimaru smirked. "You never needed long to figure out an answer... hm, Tsunade?"

"Shut up."

"Still... I gave you three days to think about it... Are you sure you've got your answer after only one?"

"I'll heal your arms if you promise to leave Konoha alone."

Tsunade fixed Orochimaru with a firm glare.

Orochimaru looked back at her, contemplating his answer.

Finally, he decided to go with a lie.

"Sure," he hissed, hoping he sounded convincing. "I'll wash my hands off that pathetic village."

Tsunade nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

The snake summoner smirked, delighted with the conversation that had just transpired. If Tsunade had believed a good old trick like that, she was losing her touch as a shinobi. Why wouldn't he destroy Konoha? He hated the Leaf to the core.

Ripping off his shirt, Orochimaru smiled, signalling for his former teammate to get to work.

Her hands glowing blue, Tsunade brought it up to his chest.

_It's working... _

"Ha!" She slammed her hands onto Orochimaru's body.

Almost immediately, Tsunade was forced to jump away as Kabuto attacked her with a kunai.

Orochimaru backed away, clutching his chest and reached for his top. _I feel... weakened! _

The blonde Sannin's gaze switched between Kabuto and Orochimaru. _His subordinate prick figured it out... but at least I managed to weaken him. __  
_

"Orochimaru-sama, that chakra was not meant to heal you." The silver-haired man revealed, glaring at Tsunade. "It was filled with killing intent!"

_No wonder I feel weakened. Tsunade... crafty as ever._

Orochimaru got back up, although unsteadily. "If you refuse to heal me, we are going to have to take you by force." _That's easy to say... I obviously can't handle Tsunade at full strength in my condition, and neither can Kabuto. _

"You can just try me. I'll kill both of you here and now." Tsunade replied coldly.

Kabuto rushed towards the veteran kunoichi, while Tsunade lunged at the younger Oto ninja.

Both medic ninjas charged towards each other, as Orochimaru looked on in the background.

* * *

**Not the most brilliant of chapters, but I was suffering from a bit of writer's block for this chapter so I'm glad I at least got it all done. The fight scenes are coming so hopefully the writer's block will be erased then. **

**Question of the Day: When this story carries on into Naruto: Shippuden, would you want a separate story or for me to continue adding to the chapters of this story? **

**In the next chapter, Tsunade and Kabuto face off, while Naruto and Jiraiya arrive on the scene and take on Orochimaru. Until next time! **


	55. Tsunade's Choice: No Deal!

**Well, we are back. I've decided when it comes to Shippuden, I'll be moving it onto a different story :) Although I will see if I can be bothered to rewrite the first few chapters of _Team Itachi_ first because they were all like crap. **

_**TheOrangeStar802**_**: Holy shit, sorry! Didn't notice :P **

_**LONGNodaichi**_**: I don't get your review, but I will try to reply to what I understand of it. Itachi is a choice for Hokage but Hiruzen would prefer someone of the Legendary Sannin because Itachi is too young (I believe he's about 18-20), and in my opinion, is just not the Hokage type. **

**_Lin_: I think what you're foreseeing is definitely correct ;) **

_**Awais**_**: Your opinion about making a new story for Shippuden was taken into serious consideration but I'll have to settle for a new story. You can simply click on my profile and find the sequel (when it comes out) or if you still think that is too "hassling", I can send you a private message when it's up :) **

_**Swordianspeed**_**: Thank you for your opinion - There will now be a new story for Shippuden :)**

_**Revolutionpunk**_**: Close. I am from Singapore :) **

**Thanks to _TheOrangeStar802, NTA FANFIC, LONGNodaichi, Lin, Awais, Swordianspeed, S.R.457, JNS1127_ and _Revolutionpunk_for the reviews!**

* * *

"Chakra Scalpel!"

A short chakra-created blade appeared in Kabuto's right hand, and he swung it towards Tsunade, making the first attack. Missing, he then jumped back as Tsunade tried to punch his face.

_One hit on me and I'll be dead,_ he thought, his left hand now glowing with the same chakra blade on his right. Popping a Food Pill into his mouth to enhance his strength, Kabuto charged again.

Orochimaru watched as both medic-nins clashed.

_Kabuto is no match for Tsunade... Neither am I in my weakened state..._

"Heaven Kick of Pain!"

Kabuto leaped away, Tsunade's heel missing his head by an inch.

_But maybe if we attack her together, we have a chance._ Orochimaru leaned against the construction wall, breathing heavily._ I just need a few more minutes to recover from that damaging chakra she put into me... urgh... _

"Take this!"

Tsunade attacked Kabuto with a flurry of punches, but thanks to the effects of the Food Pill, he managed to dodge at least three of them before jumping onto a tree to avoid the rest.

He was soon up and away however, as Tsunade's heel was soon making contact with the branch. The strength mustered in the kick sliced the branch from the tree and it fell to the ground.

"You're like a fly," she commented. "Always flying away, but soon enough, I'll crush you with my palm."

Kabuto made no attempt to retort, simply deciding to focus on the battle at hand. He got close and swiped his Chakra Scalpel, aiming for Tsunade's head, but she instead stopped him by grabbing his arm.

Seizing the opportunity to land a hit, Kabuto was soon punched right in the gut.

Instead of the man himself, Tsunade found her fist embedded right in a short tree log, and moments later it exploded into pieces from her strength.

"It's over!"

Tsunade turned, gasping as Kabuto's Chakra Scalpel was two inches away from her face.

_He's fast..._

Kabuto soon found himself crashing straight into a tree trunk, courtesy of a kick to his chest.

_... but I'm faster! _

Orochimaru smirked. _Her strength hasn't changed at all. _

Kabuto coughed violently, feeling blood leaking from his mouth. _So this is the power of the Legendary Sannin's Tsunade..._ His hand glowing green this time, he brought it up to his chest, utilizing his medical skills. _There was more speed than strength put into that kick... if she'd not been caught off-guard I would have been dead by now._

"I'm not giving you any time to heal!" Tsunade attacked, intent on finishing the younger shinobi off.

"Drat," Kabuto mumbled to himself, stopping in the middle of his Healing Jutsu, instead opting for a second Food Pill. He escaped just in time as Tsunade punched the tree trunk.

Her fist was akin to an axe. The tree came toppling down with a loud crash.

"Hyaaa!"

Zipping towards him, Tsunade tried an uppercut, but Kabuto jumped back, and then reappeared behind Tsunade with his right hand glowing in the blade of the Chakra Scalpel.

Trying a kick again, she was annoyed to see Kabuto dodging the blow once more. "Stop moving!"

"Am I annoying the great Tsunade? I am honored."

Tsunade growled threateningly. "Shut up!" She propelled herself into the air. "Heaven Kick of Pain!"

Having a taunting smile on his face, Kabuto dodged her fatal heel. He then started coughing, and fell on one knee. _The effects of the Food Pill are going away..._

Using this as an opening, Tsunade landed in front of Kabuto and aimed a fist at his face.

Then, her mouth formed an open 'O' as Kabuto spat blood onto her arm.

Her fist stopped in mid-air.

She jumped back, frantically attempting to get the blood stains off.

"So it seems... the great Tsunade of the Sannin is afraid of blood," Kabuto laughed, coughing out more blood that stained the grass.

Tsunade glared at him hatefully.

_Ah, Tsunade,_ Orochimaru chuckled silently, spitting out his Sword of Kusanagi. _You have never gotten over Dan's death, have you?_ He gripped onto the weapon's hilt. _I feel better. I won't be able to fight at my full strength with these troublesome wounds, but I will do what I can... heheh. _

In a flash, he was behind his fellow Sannin, sword about to impale her back.

_As long as I don't hit a vital spot, she'll still be able to heal me._

"Orochimaru...!" Tsunade uttered his name, turning her head in alarm. She began to move, but the blade was already poking at her shirt.

"Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

Sensing three attackers from the right, left and top, Orochimaru jumped back, forced to release his grip on his sword and seeing it falling to the ground. Three Narutos appeared where he had been standing at, and two of them dispersed, revealing their identity as clones.

"Rasengan!" A familiar voice called.

Orochimaru turned to see his old friend, Jiraiya, closing in on him with his own student's technique. "It's been a long time since I've seen that jutsu... heh." He raised his arm. "Striking Shadow Snakes!"

Jiraiya cancelled the Rasengan, instead opting for a dive to the right to avoid the snakes rising from Orochimaru's sleeve.

"It's nice to see you again... Jiraiya."

"I don't think I can say the same... Orochimaru!"

Jiraiya and Orochimaru fixed each other with an uncharacteristically solemn look and a dirty smirk respectively. With his smirk however, came a vastly contrasting thought.

_Darn it... Jiraiya's here... how will I beat two of my old teammates, with wounds too? _

"Jiraiya..." Tsunade muttered.

Catching Tsunade's awkward gaze, Jiraiya shot her a perverted grin and a wink. "Don't beat yourself up about the drug. You can pay me back later."

Even in battle, he could be such a pervert. Tsunade growled, briefly contemplating changing sides and beating Jiraiya up.

"Brat, you need to help." She pointed out quickly. "He's weakened from the drug-"

"Then why drug him, you old hag?!"

"J-Just go help him, you little brat!"

"Pft." Naruto unsheathed his sword. "You sure you can handle things here by yourself, Grandma?"

Tsunade was about to tell him all about the Legendary Sannin and that she was a part of it, but he had already jumped away. "Tsk." She turned, focusing on the enemy at hand. Kabuto had got back up on his feet.

He mumbled to himself. "So that is the Kyuubi Jinchuriki... Naruto Uzumaki."

"Haaa!"

Kabuto leaned forward and dived away as Tsunade's heel slammed into the position he was on before. _If I want to have any chance of defeating her and her brute strength, I'm going to have to use this fear of blood against her. _

He jumped straight towards his opponent, his Chakra Scalpel raised.

Tsunade prepared to defend herself, but Kabuto landed a meter away from her, and held up his arm for her to view. Next, with a kunai, he slit his own wrist, drawing blood.

Feeling herself going faint, Tsunade found herself paralyzed. _Blood..._

The feeling of losing Nawaki and Dan washed over her again.

_This is my chance,_ Kabuto thought with an evil grin. "Chakra Scalpel!" His feet ascending from the air, he swung it down towards Tsunade.

A kick to his face stunned him, knocking him back and snapping Tsunade out of her stupor.

"Had a feeling you couldn't!" Naruto grunted.

The female Sannin glanced at him, and it turned into a glare when she realized what he'd said. "Where's Jiraiya?"

Naruto shrugged. "They disappeared somewhere. Anyway, Pervy Sage should be able to handle himself just fine. Everyone's going on about how he's some legendary ninja and all... even if he's drugged." He shot an accusing look towards Tsunade.

Rolling her eyes, the great medic-nin charged, keen on pummeling her opponent. _How dare he... how dare he try to use my fear of blood to..._

Seeing Tsunade attacking, Kabuto raised his arm, and scratched some new scars on his arm, wincing in pain as he did so. At the same time, he smiled as Tsunade started to back away.

_Is that old hag... afraid of blood?_ Naruto concluded, as Kabuto rushed towards her, his Chakra Scalpel glowing back to life.

"Oh no, you don't..."

Kabuto turned, forced to stop his run towards Tsunade as Naruto descended behind him. His scalpel met Naruto's sword, and the two clashed.

To his surprise, Kabuto found Naruto to be extremely efficient with a weapon. He swung and swung, and the silver-haired man had to pay close attention to parry every single strike. _He's improved since the last time I observed him..._

"I don't know who you are, but if you're working under a creep like Orochimaru, you must be an asshole!" Naruto yelled. "Take this!" He got a hit in, and Kabuto gasped as he felt searing pain in his abdomen. Naruto had left a long scar, courtesy of his blade.

It began to bleed, and he hurriedly applied the Healing Jutsu on his wound.

"Wind Style: Razor Wind!"

Kabuto looked up. "Urgh... pesky kid." He dodged the attack, and the Wind Style jutsu slammed into a tree, cutting it down.

Naruto turned to Tsunade, who was now staring at Kabuto's stomach scar fearfully. "Come on, old lady! Snap out of it!"

"Hah!" He turned to see Kabuto already in front of him, and brought up his sword to block the strike. With all his might, Naruto forced Kabuto back with his sword, and in a split second, managed to do a hand seal.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

As Kabuto moved forward, he was engaged by thirty clones. Three clones appeared in mid-air in front of him, catching him off-guard and managing to land three kicks on his face.

He was soon surrounded by the army of clones.

_Is he trying to buy time for something?_ Kabuto held his right hand up, wielding the Chakra Scalpel. His left hand focused solely on his scar, slowly healing it.

As Kabuto got to work dispersing the clone army, Naruto and another clone was standing outside.

The clone furiously worked his hand on the original's own hand.

Tsunade stared in surprise as a blue sphere started to form into sight. _Is that... is that the Rasengan? Did he master it... in just one day? _

_Just as I thought!_ Naruto smirked. _With another person helping you focus on the shape and stability of the sphere... it's easier to form! Who cares about that third step Pervy Sage was talking about?! Go, Naruto Uzumaki, you genius!_

The sphere got bigger, and bigger as the clone worked furiously for the completion of the jutsu.

Just as Kabuto withdrew his hand from the last clone's chest, seeing it disappear into smoke with a pop, the clone beside Naruto dispersed as well.

In his right hand, was a fully-formed blue sphere, about the size of the rubber ball Jiraiya had handed to him before.

"Now's the perfect time to test this..." Naruto smirked. "Are you watching, Grandma?"

Tsunade dumbly nodded, despite Naruto having his back turned to her.

"What is that?" Kabuto adjusted his spectacles.

Naruto charged, pushing chakra into his feet to enhance his already-high speed level. "This is...!"

"What?" Kabuto jumped back, but Naruto was quickly in front of him, pushing the sphere straight into his chest.

"Rasengan!"

* * *

**Rasengan! Damn. I love typing that. And 'Chidori!' too. **

**Question of the Day: How does the title '_Team Itachi: Shippuden_' sound to you? **

**In the next chapter, the three Legendary Sannin face off! Until next time. **


	56. Face Off: Sannin Showdown

**Welcome back for another chapter of _Team Itachi_.**

**I was in yet another three-day camp, but I'm back (again) so let's kick start this chapter. **

_**Ivyfeather319**_**: We'll see about that ;) **

_**hi1235**_**: We will see. They might not even make an appearance in this story, but yeah, we will see. **

_**itunesaddiction**_**: That's a short yet awesome review right there. Thank you for your appreciation :) **

_**zarethuzumi**_**: That's an idea, isn't it? ;) We will see.**

_**Arch The Ripper**_**: Because I'm afraid I'll mess up if I try to develop her character, Kin might, and it's a big might, only be included in filler chapters I've planned. I'm not good at writing romance, so... **

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: Thanks, glad to see you back with your epic reviews. I'll try to have Itachi play a bigger role, but believe me, it's not the easiest thing :P **

**Thanks to _Ivyfeather319, LONGNodaichi, Guest, JNS1127, hi1235, ObviousEpikness, itunesaddiction, Raistlin99, zarethuzumi, Arch The Ripper_ and _Hachibi8tails_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"Rasengan!"

Kabuto's eyes widened.

Naruto withdrew his hand, and his target flew back in a mid-air spinning motion.

Tsunade was in awe. Little things amazed her, but this one did.

_He... he learnt the Rasengan... no... he mastered the Rasengan... in one day! _

She stared at the boy's back. Naruto then turned back to look at her, and her lips formed a smile as the Chunin's face reminded her, again, of Nawaki.

_Nawaki... Dan... Is it true? Do your dreams live on... in this boy? _

_Then... I will protect your dreams... _

She froze, as Naruto stabbed a kunai into his own hand right in front of her face. Blood spurted out, some hitting her cheek.

"There is nothing wrong with blood!" He started to shout, as if giving a lecture. "You're supposed to be some legendary ninja along with the Pervy Sage, right? How can you be some great ninja with this stupid fear of blood?!"

Tsunade looked away, not saying anything.

"Look at it!" Naruto commanded, flashing his bloodstained hand in front of Tsunade. "Blood! It's just blood! It won't kill you!"

She stared at the red liquid oozing out of the wound. "Brat... why are you doing this?"

Naruto smirked. "We can't have a Hokage that's going to be afraid of blood, can we?"

Tsunade stared at him, then to his hand.

From his tool bag, Naruto got out bandages, wrapping his wound with them. He then leaped off, intent on helping Jiraiya. Tsunade made no attempt to move.

"Tsunade-sama!"

She turned at the cry of her name. Shizune rushed towards her, Tonton right behind.

"Tsunade-sama!" Her raven-haired assistant repeated her name, and turned to see Kabuto, lying on the ground with a ripped open hole in his chest. _What happened here?_ "Are you alright?"

The blonde Sannin took a few moments to contemplate her answer.

"Just fine, Shizune... just fine."

* * *

Jiraiya and Orochimaru circled around each other, both not taking their eyes off the other.

The Toad Sannin had forced his old friend into a battle of taijutsu. His chakra was still unstable, and a ninjutsu battle would not do him any good.

"You've grown old, Orochimaru!" He commented with a cheeky smile.

Now revealing his Sword of Kusanagi, Orochimaru responded by charging and wildly swinging his blade. Jiraiya managed to dodge every single wounding attempt, and finally jumped away.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"

Jiraiya spewed out fire that took the form of a dragon.

However, with the unstable chakra of the jutsu's user, the dragon soon exploded, throwing both Jiraiya and Orochimaru back.

"Jiraiya..." Orochimaru regarded his opponent with a disapproving look. "... Your idiocy has not changed one bit, has it?" He bit his thumb, and did a few hand seals.

Instantly recognizing the hand seals, Jiraiya bit his thumb and quickly did the same seals.

Both men slammed their palms onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Smoke filled the air, and soon Orochimaru was standing on a gigantic snake, towering over the entire Tanzaku Town.

Jiraiya stared at his summoning.

Gamakichi glanced back at him.

Naruto arrived, and stared in horror at the gigantic snake, and Orochimaru on top.

"Good day, Manda," Orochimaru tried to sound cheery. His summoning didn't buy it, though.

"Curse you, Orochimaru..." Manda muttered, loud enough for the pale man to hear. "Summoning me to a place like this... I want a hundred human sacrifices when I am done with this."

Seeing Jiraiya staring in dismay at Gamakichi, Naruto concluded the situation. _Pervy Sage is still affected by that thing he drank! _

_To fight a giant animal like that... we must have a giant on our side as well! _

_So that's what Pervy Sage was trying to do...! _

_In that case... _

Naruto closed his eyes.

_Kyuubi! I need your chakra! _

There was no response.

"Do you have no next move, Jiraiya?" Orochimaru's horrid laughter filled the air. "Then I shall make mine! Go, Manda!"

The purple snake dived down, apparently wanting to crush Naruto and Jiraiya with his giant head.

"Ack!" Gamakichi squealed, leaping onto Naruto's shoulder instinctively. The two Leaf shinobi jumped away in time as Manda's head crashed into the ground, sending debris flying everywhere.

_Kyuubi!_ Naruto mentally screamed.

There was still no response.

Although frustrated, Naruto quickly got a fresh new idea.

He took out a kunai, and positioned it at his chest, with the sharp tip pointed straight towards him.

_I know your life is linked to mine! If you don't respond... I'll kill myself! _

Of course he was scared, but it took guts to be a Chunin. Naruto had them.

Jiraiya and Gamakichi stared at him strangely, their looks silently questioning him on what he was doing.

The smoke cleared, and Manda's head rose back into the air. "Ouch... that gave me a headache."

_Kyuubi!_

Naruto readied the short weapon, placing it a bit more forward. Next, he thrust it back towards his chest.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled, thoroughly confused and worried with what the boy was attempting.

_**"Stop!"** _

The kunai stopped just three centimeters away from puncturing Naruto's heart.

**_"You have nerve... you little brat. To threaten the great Kyuubi like this..."_**

Manda hissed, and his tail arose, before crashing down on the three.

Jiraiya uttered out a quick warning to alert his comrades, and the two dodged the nasty-looking tail.

_**"Fine... but don't think this is going to be a regular occurrence... brat..."** _

Naruto smiled victoriously, tossing the kunai in his hand aside. As he felt himself becoming stronger and more energized, he bit his thumb, swiped the blood across his palm, and did the required hand seals.

Orange chakra began to pour from the Jinchuriki as he slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Ninja Art Summoning!"

A puff of smoke appeared in the air.

"Bring Down the House!"

Orochimaru frowned.

Just in time, he descended from Manda.

A gigantic red toad appeared from the smoke, landing directly on Manda and rewarded with a pained cry from the snake monster.

"Oh, it's Manda!" The toad expressed his delight, and continued stomping on the snake.

"Get off me, bastard!" Manda hissed in pain, managing to throw him off.

Jiraiya gasped at the familiar toad summoning. "G-Gamabunta!"

Naruto jumped into the air, landing on Gamabunta's head. "Boss!"

"Well, if it isn't Naruto," Gamabunta snorted. "You've summoned me again, haven't you?"

_Pervy Sage is in no condition to fight against someone as dangerous as Orochimaru,_ Naruto looked down at Jiraiya. _I don't know how much of a chance I have, but I will fight! Naruto Uzumaki does not back down from anything!_

"I don't help little brats like you."

Naruto sighed as he heard Gamabunta speak. "Come on..."

"But since the opposition is Manda and Orochimaru, I will make an exception." Unsheathing his swords, Gamabunta stomped forward. "I've always wanted a snakeskin wallet."

Jiraiya's mouth hung open._ I think... I can confirm it... Minato... he's really inherited your shinobi ability... __  
_

"Ha!" Orochimaru laughed. "It seems your student has surpassed you after just a few weeks, Jiraiya. An idiot, as always." He leaped back onto the head of the recovering Manda.

"You toad bastard," the giant snake hissed. "You will pay for that."

Gamabunta jumped into the air. "This is going to be quite a ride, kiddo, so try not to throw up!"

Naruto felt a little scared, but nodded.

Landing beside Manda, the Chief Toad proceeded to hack his enemy with his swords.

Dodging, Manda opened, then closed his mouth around one of the swords to pull it away from Gamabunta's grasp.

As the two giant summons fought, Naruto jumped onto Manda and attacked Orochimaru with a punch.

"Oh... so you want to fight me head-on."

Orochimaru raised his arm, and a dozen snakes shot out.

"So be it... hehehe."

In a flash, Naruto had withdrew his sword to behead the dozen snakes, and launched a kick towards the former Konoha nin.

Grabbing his foot, Orochimaru swung him around in the air with amazing strength, then tossing him off Manda.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two clones appeared behind Naruto in mid-air, pushing the original back up towards Gamabunta, who was fiercely battling against Manda.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullet!" The toad spat a water bullet, hitting Manda straight in the face.

"Gah!"

The giant snake grunted and hissed. "You'll pay for that!"

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Manda shrieked in pain as it was knocked down by a giant newcomer to the battle. Orochimaru jumped off just in time, like he'd done with the summoning of Gamabunta.

On the ground, Tsunade grinned.

"Two times in one day!" Manda complained.

The gigantic thing on him started dividing into smaller clones of itself, and the purple snake instantly recognized the technique, and in turn, the user.

"Katsuyu!"

The small slugs extracted themselves from Manda's body, and joined together again to form the original, giant Katsuyu.

"You know what to do, Katsuyu," Tsunade called out to the giant slug. Katsuyu nodded.

Orochimaru landed on the ground, and immediately, was forced to dodge a kick from Tsunade.

"Why don't we all calm down and discuss over all this with a nice cup of coffee?" He offered.

Tsunade's response was a leap into the air, then landing with her fist angling towards Orochimaru's head. She missed, but just barely.

"After today, there will only be two of the Legendary Sannin left alive," she declared coldly, withdrawing her fist from the ground, which now had dozens of cracks.

Orochimaru licked his sword. "Why are you so adamant about protecting the Hidden Leaf?" It was curiosity on Orochimaru's part. "If Nawaki and Dan had not held this silly dream about protecting their village, they might not have died."

Tsunade froze. Then, she looked up at her former teammate and glared hard at him.

"... Why I am... protecting... the Leaf?"

The pale man waited for his answer.

He was instantly alert as Tsunade charged towards him.

"Because... I am the... Fifth Hokage of Konoha! And as the Godaime, I will stop you!" Her feet left the ground, and she did a somersault gracefully in mid-air. "Heaven Kick of Pain!"

Rolling to the side to avoid Tsunade's heel, Orochimaru frowned. "The Hokage?"

"... And also because... I have the Will of Fire within me!"

She charged again, with all intent to kill the man in front of her.

Orochimaru dodged her punches, and sent her flying with a kick.

"That old man's nonsense?" He laughed. "If there is such a will, I will destroy it!"

The blonde Senju got back up on her feet. "I'll kill you first!"

With a roar, Tsunade punched the ground, pulverizing it into pieces.

_Her super strength is rather annoying._ Orochimaru jumped into the trees to avoid being affected by the splitting ground. "Wind Style: Vacuum Blast!"

He took a deep breath and started spinning around, before exhaling and releasing air that with Orochimaru's chakra, formed an invisible blade that started circling around his opponent.

Tsunade dodged three strikes, but was quickly hit by the random moving of the blade and fell to the ground as the technique ended, gaining five new scars.

She shed blood, and as she looked at her scars, she shuddered. However, Tsunade didn't find herself freezing, or scared to death. Only the word disgust described her reaction.

_Isn't she supposed to be scared to death by blood?_

Orochimaru was perplexed.

Nevertheless, he was not distracted.

"You can keep trying to wriggle your way out of this, but you are coming with me, whether you like it or not."

"Like hell she will!"

Jiraiya attacked Orochimaru. "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"

The jutsu missed, with Orochimaru dodging, but Jiraiya was undeterred.

"Are you being a busybody as always, Jiraiya?"

Upon being addressed, he simply smiled. "I am a shinobi affiliated with Konoha!" He jabbed a thumb back in the direction of Tsunade. "If you are attacking our Hokage, it gives us Leaf ninja every right to intervene!"

"Tsk." _Is Tsunade really going to become the Hokage? That is laughable. _

Tsunade's eyes widened, and she smiled.

"Rasengan!"

Swinging around, Orochimaru found a Jiraiya clone charging up towards him with a Rasengan in hand. He tried to move, but as he did, his chest wounds acted up, and Orochimaru ended up throwing himself straight into the attack, and was blasted meters away.

A second later in mid-air and Tsunade was over his body, and dealt a devastating punch to his face that would surely have killed him.

Fortunately for the snake-like man, he shed his body in time and disappeared from the back - just as his skin was destroyed by the blonde lady's fist.

_I can't take the both of them at once,_ he concluded. _It would be best to retreat for now... but my wounds... I can't contain them any longer. _

"Haaa!"

Orochimaru turned around, swinging his sword to inflict a scar on Tsunade's fist, stopping an attempted punch.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

From Orochimaru's mouth came a strong gust of wind that pushed his attacker away.

Tsunade stared at her fist, which was now dripping blood. She stared long and hard at the red liquid, before wiping it against her shirt.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu."

A lookalike of himself appeared beside Jiraiya. Individual blue spheres appeared in both of their right palms.

"Let's see you dodge this!" The original called, as the duo attacked. "Rasengan!"

Orochimaru side-stepped as the clone raced through, but his wounds soon acted up again, and Jiraiya managed to slam his Rasengan straight into his target's chest, seeing him spinning away like how the Rasengan had spun in his own hand.

Crashing into a tree, he quickly got back up on his feet, although with difficulty.

_Best to retreat for now... Curse you Jiraiya..._

"It's been fun meeting the two of you again." He commented with a twisted smile. "But goodbye."

"Wait!" Tsunade yelled, but Orochimaru had already disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Seeing this, Manda drew back, covered with wounds and bruises on his scaly skin. "Well, if Orochimaru has retreated, then I will do the same..."

"Not a chance! I want my snakeskin wallet!" Gamabunta roared.

"Shut your trap, you fat toad," was the harsh retort. As Gamabunta attacked again, Manda disappeared.

Naruto descended from Gamabunta, as Katsuyu announced her departure, and left as well.

"Boss Toad!" He called. "Thanks for the help!"

"Don't think this will be a regular occurrence, kid," Bunta grunted. "Let's go, Gamakichi."

Naruto blinked, as Gamakichi jumped off his shoulder. He had forgotten the little toad was there.

Both toads disappeared.

Jiraiya, Tsunade and Naruto stood in silence for a moment, quickly joined by Shizune, who had been spectating the entire battle.

Remembering something, Tsunade looked up.

"That four-eyed guy... What happened to him?"

Meanwhile, an injured Kabuto started to sneeze as he continued on his escape.

* * *

**Finally done with this one. It was hard for me to write this one, I don't know why - but I'm at least happy I'm finished with it. **

**Question of the Day: Would you like to see _Team Itachi_ being rewritten from the Introduction Arc to the start of the Chunin Exam Arc? (Chapter 1 to Chapter 12) **

**In the next chapter, Tsunade returns to the village and assumes office as the Hokage, while Jiraiya lets Naruto in on an impending danger known only as the Akatsuki.**

**See you all in the next chapter. **


	57. Home: Tsunade's Return

**Sorry for the lateness in this chapter. Most of the arcs in Naruto are just not really motivating to write. I can't wait till we get to Shippuden, which is soon. **

**Officially, this is the second last chapter of the Search for Tsunade Arc, and after the last chapter I'll be working on filler chapters - but don't worry. I have confidence my fillers beat the anime fillers by a mile. There will be about nine to ten filler chapters, not confirmed, and then I'll be getting to work on _Team Itachi: Shippuden._**

**I might also look to do a filler arc, explaining more on the backstory of how Itachi prevented the Uchiha's plans and in turn, the Uchiha Massacre. **

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: Love your review, as always. Orochimaru actually has arms in my story, if you read carefully enough ;) I might look to do that Jiraiya-Orochimaru flashback in one of the filler chapters if I can be bothered to get to it. And you can't wait till Yakushi-teme gets his... what? **

_**NTA FANFIC**_**: I already have plans for Itachi. Some rather... disturbing plans. **

_**hi1235**_**: I don't know about Sakura to be honest, but Sasuke is going to get one for sure. Which animal, though? You just have to wait to find out. **

_**FrozenFlamingFire**_**: Thank you for telling me your opinion on the first chapters. I suppose there is no need to rewrite if people do really think that way. :) **

**Thanks to _Hachibi8tails_,_ NTA FANFIC_,_ Arch The Ripper_,_ S.R.457_,_ hi1235_,_ FrozenFlamingFire_,_ AlleyCAT19 _and _Mike_ for the reviews!**

* * *

Naruto and Tsunade stared each other down.

"I can't believe this is happening again," Shizune muttered. Tonton oinked in agreement.

"Just because Naruto said she would make a terrible Hokage," Jiraiya laughed.

"Haaaa!" Naruto ran towards his 'opponent'. "Take this, Grandma!"

With ease, Tsunade stopped Naruto's oncoming charge with her palm.

Jiraiya covered his ears. "I fear for Naruto's life."

Instead of punching the younger ninja, however, Tsunade gave him a kiss on the forehead, and with an uncharacteristically cheeky-looking smile, took off her necklace and hung it around Naruto's neck.

"You've won the bet."

* * *

"Sasuke, please, you shouldn't be exercising so much straight after lunch."

Sasuke turned to his mother. "I'm trying to perfect something, Mom. I really need to do this, so that's why I'm practicing. I promise I'll sleep early."

Mikoto sighed, and went back in.

_Now..._

The 13-year-old Chunin glared at the ten training dummies in front of him. He did a few hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

As Sasuke performed his technique, the mark on his neck started spreading.

_Here goes...! _

He closed one eye, steadily focusing on maintaining the fireball and pushing the Cursed Seal back. He had been doing this for the past week, and now it seemed like peanuts. The mark stopped it's spread, returning to it's original spot on his neck.

Sasuke stopped the fireball. One of the training dummies was now completely black and charred. He closed his eyes, having stupidly forgotten his aim. His target. The reason he was doing all this.

_Oh... yeah. I'm trying to stop the Cursed Seal from breaking out every single time I use chakra... just to come out when I want it to..._

_This is still not enough. I have to stop the seal from even moving. Time for more practice._

Doing more hand seals, Lightning chakra began gathering in Sasuke's hand.

In a flash, he was right in front of another training dummy, with his chakra-covered hand slammed through it.

"Chidori!"

Sasuke's lips broke into a bright smile. The Cursed Seal wasn't reacting.

_Have I done it? _

He pulled his hand out, and shook his head in disgust as he saw it was covered with cotton from the inside of the dummy's soft body.

_Well... this is just the first step. _

* * *

"Konoha..."

Tsunade smiled as she walked through the gates.

"... It hasn't changed one bit."

Shizune walked up beside her master, nodding in agreement.

The two Chunin at the guard post noticed the two, and then Naruto and Jiraiya entering the village right behind them.

The older of the two guards gasped, and the younger man frowned. "What?"

"That's..."

"That's who?" He turned. "Oh, yeah, it's Naruto, and Jiraiya-sama. But I don't recognize the two ladies..."

"That's... that's Tsunade-sama, and her pupil Shizune. She was a past teammate of Jiraiya-sama..."

"No way! Part of the Legendary Sannin! Where has she been?"

The older man shook his head in disbelief. "She's been out of the village for years." Jiraiya turned to the two guards and gave them a nod, to which the men nodded slowly in response.

The four shinobi quickly arrived at the Hokage's residence. Jiraiya's hand went up to knock on the door, but Tsunade was feeling a tad bit too enthusiastic.

She punched down the door and screamed. "I'm back, old man!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from his work. He recognized that voice. The door came flying at him. He blinked, putting his hands in a seal. A Shadow Clone popped up in front of his desk, catching the door and tossing it aside before dispersing.

He smiled, getting up from his seat to give his door-demolisher a hug. "Tsunade."

Tsunade smiled back at the father figure she'd not seen for years, returning the hug.

"I didn't think you would be able to do it, Jiraiya," Hiruzen chuckled. "You've proven me wrong, as always."

"Of course," Jiraiya replied proudly. "I even taught Naruto here the Yondaime's jutsu."

For the second time that day, the old Hokage got a surprise. "You can't possibly mean... the Rasengan?"

Naruto smirked. "I'll have to show you some time, old man Hokage!"

Hearing the affectionate nickname, Hiruzen laughed. "You won't be able to call me that anymore." He turned towards Tsunade with a serious look on his face. "I trust you know why Jiraiya brought you back."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes."

"Then, let us not waste any time. We have to call a meeting with the daimyo immediately."

"Why are you so eager to retire, old man?" Jiraiya questioned disapprovingly. "Tsunade-hime's just returned! Let's go somewhere relaxing like the hot springs before taking her to some boring meeting." He shot Tsunade a lecherous smile.

Naruto swiftly excused himself as Tsunade returned the lecherous smile with a glare that screamed "I'll kill you". _Knowing the old lady's strength, watching Pervy Sage getting beaten up will be too brutal for my eyes!_

Back out on the streets of Konoha, Naruto made a bee line for Ichiraku Ramen.

After a hearty meal and some catching up with Teuchi and Ayame, Naruto decided to head towards the Uchiha Compound.

"Itachi-sensei!"

Itachi looked back upon hearing the call of his name.

"Well, if it isn't Naruto," the Uchiha gave a small smile. "How are you?"

"Great! I just convinced this grandma called Tsunade to come back and be the Fifth Hokage!"

Itachi blinked.

"Are the guys that went for the rescue mission okay?" Naruto quickly asked. He had been gone for two weeks. Hopefully everyone was out of hospital.

"Yes, they are all doing well. Sakura is still in the hospital, but she's already looking fine. Oh yes, she's getting discharged tomorrow."

"Oh... right. What about Sasuke?"

"He's okay," Itachi nodded. "But he's been training ever since he's got out of the hospital."

Naruto frowned.

"He should be resting!"

"I tell him that," the Jonin sighed. "But, well, he is Sasuke."

"Why is he training so hard, anyway?"

Itachi smiled. "He doesn't want to be caught and kidnapped so easily like before anymore. That's what he said."

* * *

"Oi!"

The nurse behind the counter looked up, wondering who would be so rude. When she saw who it was, she frowned. It was unnatural for Naruto to show up at the hospital by himself.

"How may I help you?"

"I wanna know where the ward of Sakura-chan is."

"Excuse me?"

Naruto sighed. "I mean, Sakura Haruno. The ward of Sakura Haruno." It somehow felt weird referring to the pinkette with her full name.

"Oh."

The nurse started going through a file.

"Get up to the third floor and turn to the left. She's in Ward 307."

"Thanks!" Naruto sprinted towards the lift, but decided to use the stairs after waiting for forty-five seconds.

He knocked on the door of Ward 307, panting a little from the workout.

"Come in."

Opening the door, Naruto grinned broadly as he laid eyes on Sakura resting on the hospital bed. "Sakura-chan!"

It took him a few more seconds to notice there were other people in the room - a man and woman.

The couple glanced at Naruto, and the male quickly whispered something to Sakura which made her blush and shake her head. The duo then left, and Naruto walked over to Sakura's side.

"Who were they?" He asked curiously.

"My parents," she smiled, and then eyed him. "You visit a patient in the hospital, and you have no gifts?"

"Ah!" The blonde gasped. "No wonder it felt like I'd forgotten something. Be right back, Sakura-chan!" He got up from the wooden chair, opening the window.

_He isn't possibly going to jump out the window, is he?_ Sakura giggled.

"I was joking, Naruto, you idiot."

Naruto turned back to give her a warm grin. "What you said was correct, though! Don't worry about me, I'll be back in five minutes!"

With that, he jumped off the window.

Sakura heard a cry of "Shadow Clone Jutsu", and numerous excited yells.

Exactly five minutes later, Naruto raced back into the ward through the door with a bunch of roses.

Sakura reddened. _Roses? _

"Ino said these flowers would be perfect for you," Naruto explained, laying it beside her bed. "I don't know what they mean, but they must mean something like get well soon or something, right?"

She brought up her palm to smack her face. Naruto was an idiot. Not that she didn't know before.

"These flowers actually... um... represent love, Naruto."

"Love?" Naruto cocked his head. "Well, it's still appropriate, I guess. Anyway, I-"

Then he stopped, seemingly realizing what he'd said. "Ah!" He face-palmed, something Sakura was doing just seconds earlier. "No wonder Ino had some kinda... weird evil look on her face..."

_But it was thoughtful of Naruto... I suppose..._ Sakura smiled at her blonde teammate.

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, where have you been? Do you know Sasuke-kun is safe?"

"Yep," Naruto nodded, tugging at his Chunin vest and adjusting it. "I went to find some old lady to get her to become the next Hokage!"

Sakura blinked - the exact same reaction Itachi had given.

"Gah!" Naruto waved his arms in frustration. "You'll understand soon when they announce it!" He decided to switch topics. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Fine," she grinned. "I... took quite a beating, but I'm feeling fine now."

"Good to hear, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shot her a thumbs-up enthusiastically.

The two teammates continued chatting through the afternoon.

* * *

"So, they are all Chunin, huh... just months after they graduated from the academy too...? Quite an achievement."

Tsunade continued her browsing through a file, titled as the report of Team Itachi on the cover.

"I thought Naruto was just some weak brat when I first saw him... Apparently not."

"Nope," Itachi agreed. "Sasuke is also very skilled for his age, and Sakura is well-versed in Earth Style ninjutsu."

"Mmhmm." The Senju woman came to the end of the file and closed it. "And you showed me this because...?"

Itachi smiled.

Tsunade frowned. Seeing an Uchiha smile like that was... unusual, to say the least.

"I think Sakura has the potential to be one of the best medical ninjas... not in the Leaf, not in the Land of Fire... but in the world."

"... Hm. Continue."

"If it isn't too much of a chore... I think if the great Tsunade-sama herself hones Sakura's skills as a medic-nin..."

Hiruzen entered the room, interrupting the conversation.

"Tsunade. It is time."

"Excuse me," she nodded to Itachi, and followed the Sandaime.

Ushered into a different room, Tsunade raised an eyebrow. This one was filled with a literal army of Jonin and ANBU. They all stared at Tsunade.

Then, some started breaking into applause, and others smiled. Tsunade couldn't really tell what the ANBU was feeling, with their weird-looking masks and all, but one or two of them were at least joining the clapping.

The Konoha council was also assembled.

Homura, Koharu, and Hiruzen stepped in front.

The Hokage removed his hat, and handed it over to Tsunade with the widest grin she'd ever seen.

"I pronounce you, Tsunade Senju, the Godaime Hokage!"

The army of Leaf shinobi started cheering.

In the corner, a certain man by the name of Danzo glared hard at the celebrating crowd.

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter. The next one will be the last one, or if plans change, the one after the next. **

**Please do feel free to leave suggestions about what one or two of the filler chapters should be about. **

**Question of the Day: What do you think about my plans for/about the fillers. **

**In the next chapter, Jiraiya announces his plan to take Naruto on a three-year training trip, and they set off. **

**See you all in the next chapter. **


	58. Jiraiya's Offer: Naruto's Departure

**And we are back. ;) **

**This is it - the last official chapter of _Team Itachi_ and the Search for Tsunade Arc. **

**I have people screaming at me not to make fillers. Trust me, my fillers will NOT be as crappy as the horrible anime ones. I've actually had these fillers planned since chapters of chapters ago, so I think I've seriously done enough planning to make some good chapters. **

**I've already got all the filler arcs planned. Each arc is going to be really short, like maybe 2-3 chapters long, but I suppose we can still call it an arc. **

_**Team Itachi: Shippuden**_** will kick off directly after the last filler chapter and the very last chapter of _Team Itachi_.**

_**TeamNoFiller**_**: Read the Author's Note above :) **

_**Danish78**_**: You have plenty of interesting predictions for Sasuke, but I'll say only about two of them are correct ;) **

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: While you enjoy my writing, likewise, I always enjoy a review from you. :) I agree that the appointment of Tsunade was horribly rushed and I'll have to work on not being rushed in future chapters. I hope my own filler chapters will appease you! :) **

_**Darkrexbeta**_**: What do you mean? In case you didn't notice I'm writing a story not directing an anime ;) **

_**AlleyCAT19**_**: I'm mighty glad I inspired someone. Good luck and I hope to see you with your own Fanfiction account soon with your own Fanfictions :D **

_**FrozenFlamingFire**_**: I think your opinion about the anime filler arcs are shared by many. ;) **

_**The Lady Avaritia**_**: It's a huge honor for anyone to finish your 57-chapter story in two days and I thank you for that. Thank you!**

**Thanks to _CandyMari_,_ TeamNoFiller_,_ Danish78_, _Hachibi8tails_,_ forever101_,_ Darkrexbeta_,_ AlleyCAT19_,_ FrozenFlamingFire _and _The Lady Avaritia_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade smiled as she stood on top of the Third Hokage's stone face on the Hokage Monument. Shizune stood beside her with Tonton, while the entire village cheered below, chanting the name of their newest Hokage.

With her acute sense of sight honed from many years of being a shinobi, she saw Naruto within the crowd dancing away like a hyperactive child.

Naruto seemed to catch sight of the fact that Tsunade was staring at him, because he immediately started waving and mouthing something that looked like "Grandma, Grandma".

Tsunade frowned, and it broke into an annoyed smile. She would let this one pass... just this once.

She placed her hands in the Tiger seal.

"Voice Amplification Jutsu."

The Godaime addressed the citizens of Konoha, and after the five-minute speech she was forced to prepare, Tsunade retreated back into her new office. The villagers started cheering again, but eventually scattered back to their lives.

There was a knock on the office door.

"Well, my first official visitor as Hokage," she said brightly. "Come in."

A certain pinkette entered the room.

"Uh... good morning, Tsunade-sama. Itachi-sensei said I should come to see you...?"

* * *

"I thought I might find you here."

Naruto looked up from slurping his ramen. "Ah! Pervy Sage!"

Jiraiya grinned at him. _So much like Minato... he's even inherited Minato's love for ramen! Yet, his personality is like Kushina's. A really good mix, if I do say so myself! _

"Oh, it's Jiraiya-sama!"

Teuchi gave the old Sage a jolly old smile.

"Ramen for you?"

"I think I'll take whatever Naruto's slurping, thanks. It has to be good if he's eating it like that..."

Teuchi started laughing. "With Naruto, give him any kind of ramen and it'll taste good, probably even that diet ramen we have!"

The cook rushed off to prepare his latest order, while Naruto finished his third bowl.

Calling for a fourth, the blonde turned to face Jiraiya. "What's up, Pervy Sage?"

"Honestly, kid, you've gotta stop calling me that!"

Naruto smirked, and started to sing. "Pervy Sage! Pervy Sage~!"

Jiraiya covered his ears with an amused smile threatening to break out on his lips.

His ramen came, and he finished it, along with Naruto who finished his fourth bowl.

"Ah, my stomach is happy and filled!" The ramen-loving teen declared, patting his stomach happily.

_Now..._ Jiraiya smiled, putting his chopsticks down.

"Naruto, I'm actually here to talk to you about something important."

"Something important? Hm." Naruto stared closely at Jiraiya. "I'm not doing my Sexy Jutsu for you again!"

Jiraiya grinned dirtily when reminded of his new favorite technique, but then grew serious again when he remembered what he was about to talk to Naruto about.

Teuchi came back, and Jiraiya nodded at him.

Getting the message, the owner of the ramen stall picked the bowls up and excused himself.

"You know... about those two guys that attacked you while we were searching for Tsunade-hime?"

"The people you call the Akatsuki?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"I paid attention when you were talking to them," Naruto said proudly.

"Oh... right. Anyway, the Akatsuki are an organization."

He paused, to make sure Naruto was following.

"They are an organization made of S-ranked criminals, originating from different villages. They have abandoned all loyalty to their village and are instead working with the Akatsuki mostly for their own personal gain."

Naruto frowned. "So..."

"Only a few people know about the Akatsuki," Jiraiya continued. "And no one knows more than a little of what the Akatsuki is all about."

"So you're telling me, this is all you know about them? A group of criminals?"

"... Yes," Jiraiya confirmed.

Naruto's frown deepened, as he detected something that wasn't right within the conversation. "But why are you telling me this, Pervy Sage? What do I have to do with them?"

Jiraiya hesitated.

But before he could say anything, Naruto clutched at his stomach.

"It's this... Fox, isn't it? They are after the Kyuubi."

The white-haired Sannin's jaw dropped. "Wha-? How did you..."

"I just figured," he shrugged, deciding to act like it was nothing, despite the fact he was starting to panic now that his fears were confirmed. The knowledge of having a group of dangerous criminals on your tail was not exactly knowledge that made him happy or excited. "What else could they want me for?"

"True, I suppose."

_This little brat... he's smarter than I gave him credit for. _

"Pervy Sage... what are you getting at here?"

Jiraiya looked up. "Hm?"

"You're telling me about these group of criminals wanting to hunt me down, but... why are you telling me this? Are you telling me to be careful, or...?"

_Indeed... he catches on fast._ Jiraiya mentally chuckled. "I'll get straight to the point then."

The Toad Sage locked his gaze with Naruto.

"I want to take you on a trip. A training trip."

"What...? How long...?"

"Approximately? Two and a half years."

Naruto gasped. "How can I be away from the village for that long?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "Why not? Tsunade-hime hasn't seen the insides of the village for years, and now she's the Fifth Hokage."

Upon mention of the title he had always dreamed of receiving, Naruto looked up towards the Hokage Monument, where a group of stone carvers were working on carving the face of Tsunade.

"Hey... Pervy Sage."

"Yes?"

Naruto looked at his tutor with hesitance, comfort not present in his eyes.

"If the Akatsuki gets me... what happens?"

"Most probably... they'll unseal it from your body... and seal it within another."

It was time to ask the question he dreaded. Naruto stared up at Jiraiya. "What happens... when the Kyuubi is unsealed... from my body?"

Jiraiya's face grew grim.

"You die."

* * *

"Well, your unlocking of the Cursed Seal stage two made us restart the steps to control the stage one of the Cursed Seal again," Itachi addressed his younger brother. "But it looks like you did it."

"Yep."

Sasuke, covered in black marks on one half of his body, performed a few hand seals.

A mass of Lightning chakra appeared in his right hand.

"Chidori!"

He slammed it into one of the Uchiha training dummies, demolishing it.

"That's your third Chidori," Itachi noted. "Now, try to activate the level two."

Sasuke stared at him. "You sure you can keep it under control this time, big brother?"

Itachi smiled wryly. The first time Sasuke had fully transformed into the winged beast, he had rampaged around the training field they were currently in, almost burning down one of the houses in the Uchiha Compound and giving Itachi some minor injuries.

"No worries."

"If you say so," Sasuke replied with reluctance, as he closed his eyes and focused.

The black marks gradually started spreading to the other half of his body. These black marks joined together, and as they fused, darkened Sasuke's skin.

His hair grew longer, and a black mark appeared on his nose.

He ripped off his shirt, as wings started protruding from his back.

"What now?" Sasuke asked, panting, desperately trying his best to push the evil, crazed personality emanating from the Cursed Seal to the back of his mind.

"Attack me with a Chidori."

"But-"

"Do it."

With more reluctance than before, Sasuke did the required hand seals, his wings instinctively flapping wildly as Lightning chakra appeared in his hand again. However, instead of blue Lightning, there was black-colored Lightning chakra that gave off an evil, uncomfortable feeling.

_It's similar to the one he used against Naruto,_ Itachi thought, recalling the events at the Valley of the End.

"We need to think up a name for this technique," said the older Uchiha. "What about... Black Chidori?"

Even in his rising panic the longer he stayed in the Cursed Seal mode, Sasuke managed to roll his eyes. "Black Chidori? Really?"

The evil influence from the Seal took over for three seconds, and Sasuke found himself launching his own body towards his sibling.

"Sharingan!" Itachi called, as his eyes turned red. "Chidori!"

Itachi slammed his copied version of the Chidori into Sasuke's Black Chidori.

There was a great explosion, and when the smoke cleared, Sasuke felt a foot slam into his cheek, knocking him down. In his hands, he felt foreign blood, and started panicking.

The smoke had not cleared enough, and Itachi's form remained invisible from Sasuke. As his feelings of uncertainty rose, his wings disappeared, and his darkened skin returned to normal. The effects of the Cursed Seal faded, and so did the remaining amount of crackling Lightning chakra in his palm.

Itachi soon came into view, with a bloodied right arm.

However, he shot a smile at Sasuke. "That was pretty good, Sasuke."

"Brother! Your arm!"

Itachi grunted, chuckling softly. "Just be thankful you didn't hit it into my chest or something."

Applying a simple Healing Jutsu, the former ANBU man walked over to Sasuke.

"As expected, the Chidori influenced by the Cursed Seal is much, much, much stronger than a normal one..."

The green chakra on his left palm disappeared, and Itachi shook his right hand.

"Ah, feels better."

"I'll take you to the hospital later."

"Nonsense," Itachi said with a dismissive wave. "I'll just get down to a clinic."

Sasuke wanted to protest, but Itachi quickly continued.

"I've decided on something."

Sasuke cocked his head. "What would that be?"

"You've been training hard, but training without a target to reach... can make training quite dry, can't it?" Itachi didn't wait for his brother to answer, because he quickly took out a set of papers. "That's why I've decided... I'm going to enter you in the Jonin Exams in one and a half year's time."

The younger Uchiha gasped.

"The Jonin Exams?"

"That's right. We have one year and a half to control that Cursed Seal of yours and teach you some fancy new jutsu. Let's do it. Are you with me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke cast a questioning look towards Itachi. He had seldom seen his older brother this enthusiastic. But Itachi was actually grinning at him. Uchihas never grinned.

He took a deep breath.

"Let's do it."

Satisfied with his answer, Itachi handed Sasuke the papers.

"Why are they handing out information about it so soon if it happens in a year and a half?" Sasuke muttered, reading through the document, containing a brief summary of the Jonin Exams and some history of the shinobi world's best Jonin Exams.

Itachi shook his head. "No idea, but what matters is that one and a half year. By the way..."

"Yes?" Sasuke looked up.

Itachi turned away, before looking back at Sasuke.

"Under no circumstances... are you to use your Mangekyo Sharingan. Are we clear?"

* * *

"First time I've seen you in a month, and you're going to leave for another three years, huh?"

Naruto grinned at Sasuke. "Two and a half!" He corrected, and continued slurping at his ramen.

Sasuke sighed. "Honestly... I have no idea how you like those noodles so much."

"I have no idea how you like rice balls so much!"

"Hey, they're good," Sasuke defended. Then he stared into his unfinished bowl of pork ramen. "Eh... Naruto. About me almost killing you... no hard feelings... for real, right?"

Naruto pushed his empty bowl away. "How many times have we gone through this, Sasuke? You've been harping about it since we met! No hard feelings! Really!" He put an arm around Sasuke for emphasis, grinning broadly at his best friend. "I understand you didn't really mean to do it."

"What if I did?" Sasuke smirked.

Naruto smirked back. "You wouldn't dare!" He released his arm on Sasuke, and waved goodbye to Teuchi for the last time in two and a half years. "I'll miss your ramen, old man!"

The Team 7 duo continued their conversation from where they left off, as they left Ichiraku. Naruto had almost forgotten his backpack at the stall. Fortunately, it was a close almost.

"Besides, when I show you my new super cool jutsu, you'll be so jealous," Naruto remarked.

Sasuke was fairly interested. As he was harping about that Black Chidori he had delivered to Naruto's body back at the Valley of the End, Naruto had been talking all about his new technique, some jutsu called the Rasengan. But he knew he would have to wait until Naruto returned.

"Is Sakura meeting us at the gate?" The blonde one of the two questioned.

Looking up, Sasuke smiled. "Yeah... and a lot more."

Naruto looked up as well, and gasped.

Team 8, Team 10 and even Guy's team were present at the gates to see him off.

Kiba walked up to him, slapping him on the back. "Sakura told us all you were leaving, Naruto!" He paused to grunt. "I thought we were friends, at least! Why didn't you tell me, huh?"

"I was a bit caught up in my own time," Naruto replied sheepishly. He noticed Jiraiya standing at the back of the crowd, with his arms folded and a big smile on his face, and rushed over to join him.

"Jiraiya-sama! Please take care of Naruto-kun and ensure his Flames of Youth burn stronger than ever when he returns!" Lee shrieked, punching the air.

Neji walked up, sparing Naruto a smile. "Good luck, Naruto." _He's going to be so much stronger when I see him again... destiny will ensure it. __  
_

"N-N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata poked her fingers together, willing herself not to faint. "G-Good l-luck..."

"I look forward to seeing you again," Shino nodded.

Tenten remained with Lee and Neji, thinking to herself._ He's already quite the strong one... imagine when he comes back after training with one of the Legendary Sannin... wow. _

Shikamaru, Choji and Ino stepped forward, and Shikamaru placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder with a smirk. "It's going to be troublesome, but don't get too caught up in your training and forget about us, Naruto."

"Yeah!" Choji agreed.

"No way I can forget any of you guys!" Naruto reassured his former classmates and friends with a bright grin.

Ino winced at Naruto's usual loudness, but smiled. _He's going to get a bit more mature on the trip... I hope! And maybe he'll grow into a hunk too, so Billboard Brow will finally get noticing him and I can have Sasuke-kun all to myself! Muahaha! _

The last to address him was Sasuke and Sakura.

"Hey, Naruto..."

Naruto looked at Sasuke, who had spoken.

"An Uchiha never says this..." He said awkwardly. "... but I'll miss having you around."

"Awww." Naruto smirked. Sasuke shot his teammate a glare, before wrapping him into a brotherly hug.

"Obviously, I'll miss you too, Sasuke! And all of you guys!" Naruto yelled, pointing at every Genin and Chunin who had assembled.

Sasuke gave Naruto a devilish smile. "Of course you'll miss me. I'd pummel you if you didn't."

Lastly, the spiky-haired boy turned to Sakura.

"And I'll miss you, of course... Sakura-chan."

Sakura blushed. For some reason, she couldn't help it. Only Sasuke noticed this.

_Well... hopefully she'll stop trying to bug me for dates from now on. _

Thinking of dates made him think of Kin. What was she doing now? How was she?

However, he decided that for now, he would be thinking of Naruto. Sasuke looked at his closest friend, as he attempted to hug Sakura, noticing how awkward it was compared to the brother-like hug with him and Naruto earlier.

Finally, Naruto mustered up his courage, tightening his hold on Sakura's back.

Hinata looked down, concealing her feelings of sadness and jealousy. Kiba and Shino both looked at her worriedly.

"And... I'll miss you, Naruto," Sakura smiled at him. It was an awkward smile, as awkward as the hug had been.

"Alright!"

Naruto was happy to get that done with. All his life, he'd dreamed about hugging Sakura, and he'd finally done it!

"See you all in three years!"

"Two and a half," Sasuke corrected.

Naruto glared at him.

Sasuke glared back.

The glares changed into smirks.

"Okay," Jiraiya patted Naruto's shoulder. "Let's go, kid."

The assembled Genin and Chunin watched on as Naruto and Jiraiya walked off, with each step furthering themselves away from Konoha.

Naruto stopped for a bit, and looked back, to get one last look at his village, and his friends. Giving them the greatest grin he could muster, he then continued on.

On a nearby tree overlooking the Konoha gates, Itachi and Kakashi watched as Naruto and Jiraiya slowly disappeared from sight.

"You think it's a good idea?" Kakashi started.

"Yeah," Itachi nodded. "It'll do Naruto some good. Although I'm a bit worried, because it's Jiraiya."

Kakashi couldn't resist, and started laughing softly. Not much could make him laugh, but Itachi certainly could.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Jiraiya walked down the path, a road leading to strength.

"Where are we heading first, Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya stopped, and Naruto did as well. The younger of the two looked back and gasped. They had walked quite a bit.

"There."

Naruto's focus snapped back to the front, and he made out a tall house in the distance.

There were little trees in the surrounding area, so with squinting eyes, Naruto could make out the words on the giant sign at the front of the house.

"Namikaze," he read.

Jiraiya smiled.

"We are going to borrow a few scrolls from there."

* * *

**And Naruto is off. That concludes our last chapter done. I didn't check the manga or anime for what Naruto's departure was like, I just went solo, so please tell me if there was anything important I missed out that I shouldn't have missed out. **

**The fillers start next chapter. I'll be laying out a quick summary of the filler arcs. **

**_Sugoi Herbs Arc_: Tsunade sends a three-man team of Kakashi, Sasuke and Lee down to a small island in the Land of Stone to collect a rare medicinal plant dubbed the Sugoi Herb. However, Iwagakure are also fairly interested in the plant. Kakashi, Sasuke and Lee must get to the Sugoi Herb before the Iwagakure shinobi, and on the island, Sasuke runs into a familiar face. Now who might that be?  
**

_**Itachi's Date**_**: Itachi Uchiha gets a date with the craziest woman in the Leaf village. **

_**Sasuke's Jonin Exams Arc: **_**Sasuke takes on the Jonin Exams in a two-man team with Neji Hyuga. **

_**Itachi Gaiden**_**: A back-story before the start of the series that depicts how Itachi managed to stop the Uchiha from their planned rebellion. **

**And that's it, I suppose. **

**Question of the Day: Which filler arc/chapter name/description sounds most interesting to you? **

**In the next chapter, the Sugoi Herbs Arc kicks off. **

**Sugoi sounds weird, but according to my Japanese friend, in Japanese it means something like 'awesome', so I did that on purpose ;) **

**See you all next chapter, and thank you for supporting _Team Itachi_ until now :) **


	59. Itachi's Date

**It was lovely reading the reviews, praising the entire story. I can't thank you guys enough. **

**Naruto is going to be a little over-powered when he comes back from that trip with Jiraiya. I don't mean 'better than the Ten Tails' kind of overpowered, though. Jiraiya has the Namikaze scrolls... so that's already a hint on one of the techniques he's going to learn ;)**

**READ THIS: After some more planning and thinking, I have decided to scrap the Sugoi Herbs Arc. I don't want too many fillers because I'm anxious to start writing _Team Itachi: Shippuden_ and the Sugoi Herbs Arc was meant to mainly show Sasuke's new abilities, but I guess you guys can look at that in the Jonin Exams Arc. He's going to become a beast, the typical Uchiha. ;) **

**Thus, this chapter will be of Itachi's date. I am an amateur at writing romance so hopefully this one will turn out fine. **

_**The Lady Avaritia**_**: Thanks a bunch :) You have no idea how happy I am every time someone says my story is amazing, haha :D **

_**Lin**_**: Anko? Maybe, just maybe... ;) **

_**Guest**_**: Don't understand much of your review, but I'm going to go ahead and guess you think the fillers are going to be shit based on their names. Just skip the filler chapters and wait for Shippuden to come out, I suppose :)**

_**AlleyCAT19**_**: Thanks for the soon-to-be credit! Will definitely check it out when it arrives, you just have to hit me up when it does. :D**

_**WaterDrop**_**: Best review of this last chapter by far! Thank you! And of course I don't mind, I'm actually pretty freaking honored! Put them on the Internet if you want, it would be awesome to see how they turn out :D**

_**tristan34**_**: Well, you have your opinions, and I have mine. :) **

_**TheOrangeStar802**_**: And more awesomeness you shall have. :D**

**Thanks to _The Lady Avaritia_,_ Arch The Ripper_,_ Lin_,_ Guest_,_ Hellokitty_,_ enerongoku77_,_ AlleyCAT19_,_ S.R.457_,_ hi1235_,_ WaterDrop, zarethuzumi, tristan34_ and _TheOrangeStar802_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"Really, Kakashi, really?" Itachi growled.

Kakashi put his hands up in the air, as if surrendering. "Hey, I thought it would be good for you."

Catching sight of the cheeky smile behind his mask, Itachi glared at him, contemplating a Tsukuyomi on his friend. "I doubt it. I think you're just trying to get me into some... really deep shit."

Kakashi laughed. Itachi never swore, nor did he get pissed off very much either.

And he had managed to make the Uchiha man do both.

When this thought struck him, Kakashi continued laughing his ass off.

"Kakashi!" Itachi roared at him.

The spiky-haired Jonin's laughter started to die down and all that remained was his cheeky eye-smile. "Just give it a go, will you? It can't be that bad."

Itachi wanted to punch Kakashi in the face. "We're talking about Anko here! Anko fucking Mitarashi!"

Kakashi's eye-smile remained, as he dug his hand into Itachi's secret Icha Icha collection behind his bookshelf. "So what?"

"What's this I'm hearing about Anko?"

Mikoto Uchiha stuck her head into the room.

Itachi's gaze swept towards Kakashi urgently, and the visiting man quickly withdrew his hand from the secret Icha Icha storage.

"Seeing as how Itachi here needs to do something other than training and being a ninja, I hooked him up for a date with Anko," Kakashi grinned beneath his mask, resting a hand on Itachi's shoulder.

"That's wonderful!" Mikoto clapped her hands in delight. "It's about time my little Itachi got a girlfriend!"

Itachi shook his head with a sigh as Mikoto entered, quickly rummaging through her son's horribly empty wardrobe. She then dragged her son out of his room and out of the house, presumably to get new ones.

Kakashi eye-smiled again, and with a puff of smoke, teleported away. This was going to be interesting to watch.

* * *

Itachi groaned.

He sat in the dango shop, staring down at the dango in front of him.

One common thing he and his date shared was the love for dango.

But other than that, nothing.

Itachi and Anko were polar opposites.

And their age! She was six years older than him. Somehow, Itachi found dating an older girl taboo.

He looked down at his attire. Mikoto had made sure Itachi was dressed up properly in a nice new shirt. He had tried to convince his mother that his standard, Jonin uniform was pretty stylish, but Mikoto didn't think so.

Too lost in his own thoughts, Itachi failed to notice the arrival of Anko, but she promptly announced it by shrieking into his face.

"Yo!"

Itachi looked up. The first feature he focused on were her abnormally-sized chest. They were easily one of the biggest in the village, second only to the Hokage. Blushing, he forced himself to tear away his gaze to look at her face and crazy purple hair, which reflected her personality.

"Um. Hello."

Anko took a seat and winked at the younger Jonin. "Looks like you took the time to dress up, hot stuff!"

Itachi glanced at Anko's outfit. It was the one she always wore. He sighed.

"My mom made me do it," he defended.

Anko smirked. "Looks like big bad Itachi is a mama's boy!" Ignoring the frown she got in response, Anko started flipping through the menu. "So Kakashi is saying you'll be treating."

Itachi, in the midst of drinking a glass of water, spat it out. "What?"

"That's the only real reason I agreed to come along," she snatched the dango in front of Itachi, finishing it off in one bite. "I've not had dango in weeks! Ah, it tastes as heavenly as ever."

Itachi looked away, silently cursing Kakashi. _Is this payback for beating him up too hard in our training session last week? Dammit! _

He checked his wallet and started panicking mentally, but on the outside, his lips just curled downwards, while his frown hardened. _That's all my savings for the week gone..._

Itachi badly wanted to ditch the crazy snake summoner there and then, but the Uchihas were all gentlemen, and he did not want to tarnish his clan's name.

Thus, he held the urge in as Anko started ordering dango after dango.

As they waited, she attempted to make conversation, having not really talked to this particular colleague of hers much before.

"So, what's up?"

Not really interested in his date, Itachi looked away. "Nothing much."

"Not the talkative type, are we?"

He looked back towards Anko, and started getting irritated with that constant smirk plastered on her lips.

"Just before you try to... hook up with me or anything, know that I didn't come willingly." Itachi wanted to make this clear. He had no interest in women... at least not at the moment. Obviously, he wasn't gay or something, but missions and being a ninja mattered to him more.

Anko shrugged. "I came for the dango." She licked her lips with her unusually long tongue as a tray of dango was served.

Itachi was surprised. Girls always tried to find a way to get into his pants. He guessed it was because he was an Uchiha and all, but Anko didn't look at all bothered by the fact he wasn't interested in her. To be honest, she seemed more interested in whether the dango tasted good.

"Uh... the problem is... Mother wants me out the entire day, so..." Itachi looked at the dango sheepishly.

Seeing the request he was making through his words, Anko laughed and nodded in agreement. "I'm going to leave if it gets boring though."

Not at all happy with what she'd said, Itachi sighed.

_Well, I've done dangerous missions before. I've slayed dangerous shinobi, dangerous creatures. Why can't I do this? I'm Itachi Uchiha. I can do this. A date? No problem. _

* * *

Anko and Itachi walked out of the dango shop.

"Surprise me, Uchiha-chan," the purple-haired woman said teasingly.

"My name is Itachi," he said, clearing his throat. "You may address me as Itachi-san."

Anko pouted. "This is no fun. I'm leaving."

Itachi's face reddened as she turned.

His mother had promised to lock him out of the house until the evening. Where could he go? He didn't exactly like going out. Sure, he could get a mission, but all that was left at the moment were C-Ranks and D-Ranks, and he couldn't bring himself to accept one of those.

When have you seen a Jonin walking a dog for some random citizen?

Exactly.

But more importantly, Itachi didn't want to be laughed at by Kakashi, and probably his fellow colleagues. His masked friend had probably already told people like Guy and Asuma.

"Wait!"

Itachi placed both of his hands on Anko's shoulders, forcefully turning her around.

"Hey, isn't it a bit too early for something like that?" She winked seductively.

He quickly released the woman, quickly finding out what she was getting at. "Fucking tease," he mumbled, under his breath. Straightening himself up, Itachi grabbed onto Anko's wrist, purposely avoiding her hand.

"You were forced to come, huh? Looks like you wanted to," she started to tease.

"I'm just making sure you're following," Itachi blushed, pulling her along the crowd.

They arrived at their destination.

The amusement park.

_Sasuke took his little girlfriend here... Father took Mother here... let me continue the trend of the Uchiha,_ he thought to himself solemnly, and dragged Anko through the entrance.

Noticing where they had headed, Anko scoffed.

"I didn't know the great Itachi-chan was the amusement park type."

"I'm not," Itachi quickly replied. He set some money on the counter, politely asking the staff member on the other side for two tickets into the park.

Her one free hand ran through her purplish hair. "Anyway, the amusement park is boring. I've already done every ride here."

Itachi nodded in thanks to the staff member, who happened to be a teenage girl and fawning over his looks.

"Oi! Girl! Back off! He's mine for today!" Anko barked.

She shrank back in her chair, clearly intimidated by Anko's loudness, and hastily waved for the next people in queue for tickets.

Itachi continued dragging Anko by the wrist into the park. "You didn't have to be so rude..."

She giggled. "That's just my style."

"You have a rather... interesting style," Itachi commented, smiling slightly, as he finally released his grip on Anko's wrist. He glanced around, as if looking for something.

Meanwhile, Anko spotted a drinks stand. She pulled Itachi over, and slammed money down on the counter, before grabbing one of the alcoholic drinks. The owner of the stand glared hard at her, but he quickly retreated elsewhere when Anko responded with an evil Orochimaru-like smile.

"If you get drunk I'm not carrying you home," Itachi sighed, as Anko finished the bottle in a few gulps and tossed it into a nearby drain. "And there's a bin just over there..."

"My style!" Anko snapped in his face.

Itachi sighed, raising his hands in defeat. "Right... Anyway... over here..."

He led Anko towards a staircase that seemed to descend right into the underground of the amusement park. She looked around with curiosity, having not seen this place before.

"I had a feeling you've ridden all the scary rides," Itachi had to hide a smirk forming on his face. "So I took you to this brand new one."

"There's a new ride?" Anko fist-pumped the air. "Yesss! Let's do it!"

Itachi grinned.

There were literally no one queuing up for the ride. Anko read the sign, describing the attraction.

"Pathway to the Devil's Portal...?" She laughed. "What kinda cheesy name is that!"

Itachi looked up. The vehicle for the attraction was a mini roller-coaster of sorts. Sasuke had been telling him all about how this was the newest, and scariest ride in the amusement park, and he couldn't wait to see the normally tomboyish, rough Anko to be scared out of her wits.

"Go on," he said, a little bit too enthusiastically.

The staff member manning the attraction was a middle-aged man who looked like he would much rather be asleep at home than here. "I have to see your tickets please."

Anko dug into her pockets, and produced her own as well as Itachi's tickets.

"This way, please."

Seeing the man was gesturing for him to follow, Itachi stepped back with a polite smile. "No, no. I'm not-"

"Well, she showed two tickets, which means you're getting on," the man said gruffly. Itachi gulped.

"Don't be such a pussy, Itachi-chan," Anko grabbed Itachi's hand, pulling him along.

"Stop," Itachi tried to release Anko's hand off his, with reluctance. "If people see us like this, they'll get the wrong idea."

Ignoring him, Anko continued to walk hand-in-hand with her date, and forced him onto the roller-coaster. She then plopped into the seat beside him, grinning broadly.

"Woohoo!"

The staff member walked over to check if the seat belts were fastened. Soon after, he returned to where he had been sitting earlier, and pushed a few buttons.

Anko smirked at Itachi's face, which was turning pale as the vehicle started moving. "Sit tight, Itachi-chan!"

_I can't take such rides. Have to..._ Itachi's Sharingan blazed into activation, and he glared fiercely at the man working the buttons. As soon as he relaxed his eye muscles, the man had slumped to the ground, asleep.

But then, the ride started going at a faster pace than before.

_Shit... I've just realized it, but... now that I've knocked him out... there's no way he can stop the ride... shit, shit, I must get out of here._

Anko seemed to notice as well. "Looks like you got us in a real mess, Itachi-chan," she started laughing again. "You're funnier than I thought!"

"We could die on a roller-coaster," Itachi yelled. "How can you be laughing?"

Before Anko could reply, the ride suddenly shot down a steep slope, quickening it's speed.

Itachi started screaming.

Anko yelled with glee.

The vehicle started doing twists and turns, and Itachi started to feel extremely sick. Then, it jerked to a stop in front of a gigantic green face that stared down at them with creepy purple eyes, deeper than the color of Anko's hair.

The face had it's mouth open.

"Are you ready to enter the Devil's Portal?" A loud booming voice questioned.

"No," Itachi muttered, starting to cough.

"Very well." The voice faded, and the roller-coaster started to move again, into the mouth of the creature.

The tracks had stopped there. Beyond the mouth of the green face was nothing - just a void space. Itachi screamed again as the ride flew into mid-air. A few seconds passed, and the thrill in both Jonin rapidly rose as the machine they were in began to lose it's battle against gravity and descended.

Then, transparent ropes fired down from the ceiling, grabbing a hold of the ride.

Anko started laughing her head off as Itachi sighed in relief.

The mini roller-coaster was carried through mid-air by the ropes into a dark hole.

"I can't see," Itachi complained, his hands groping around for something. They landed on something soft. He immediately realized it was one of Anko's breasts, and swiftly removed his arm.

"Itachi-chan, you perv!" Anko's voice berated him in the darkness.

Itachi was about to defend himself, but the ride landed on ground and shot off again like a bullet, doing multiple sharp turns.

Blue light illuminated their surroundings and Itachi opened his eyes to find a skull staring at him right back in the face. He jumped.

The ride continued on again, and after going past dozens of skulls, artificial bodies and scary bats that were actually alive, the ride returned to where it had started before, but then continued on, with the staff member still fast asleep.

_I can't take anymore of this,_ Itachi thought, feeling extremely nauseous.

Snakes shot out from Anko's sleeve, and rounded the giant sign, gripping onto it and pulling their summoner out of the ride, but not before she grabbed onto Itachi and pulled him out as well.

"Th-That was dangerous," he stuttered, resisting the urge to vomit.

The snakes returned to her sleeve. Anko looked up at Itachi and smirked at his pale expression.

"Well, that was fun!"

* * *

Anko whistled softly to herself.

A sleazy-looking man walked by.

"What is a fine lady like you doing out here all by yourself tonight?" He raised his eyebrow with a dirty smile. "Why don't you come with me-"

Anko was about to punch the guy's lights out, but Itachi stepped in smoothly.

"Sorry, she's my date."

The man snorted, and walked off.

"Your date, huh?" Anko winked at Itachi.

Red tainting his cheeks, Itachi ignored her.

Seeing she wouldn't be getting an answer, Anko simply smirked to herself. "So, how was your toilet break?"

"Horrible," Itachi replied truthfully. He had finally released all his vomit for the day, and silently apologized to the janitor who would be cleaning that particular cubicle later.

A chime on the amusement park's clock announced it was 12am. People were leaving. Anko stretched her body, and Itachi looked around. "Well, I guess we are done for today."

"Looks like it," Anko grinned.

They had gone on all the roller-coasters the amusement park had to offer. Itachi was still feeling sick. With all that vomit let out, he did feel a little better, but still needed a good sleep.

"I enjoyed it."

Itachi blinked, looking towards Anko.

"I enjoyed today."

Itachi blinked again. Then he smiled.

"... Me too."

"You didn't come willingly, huh?"

The Uchiha sighed. "Am I not going to hear the end of that?"

Anko shrugged, smiling cheekily.

The two locked gazes.

Itachi was about to look away, but Anko pulled him in. His eyes widened as their lips smashed for a kiss.

_This is a bit too sudden,_ he thought in alarm. _I've only just... really got to know her, and now we are... _

They split apart, their kiss broken.

_Not to say I didn't enjoy it though..._

"My place or yours?"

Itachi spluttered. "E-Excuse me?"

"My place then."

She gave him that evil smirk, and grabbed onto his hand, leading him away from the park.

* * *

**How did I do? Horrible? :( **

**I think I deserve marks for effort though... seriously. I always wanted to pair Itachi up with Anko, and now I've done it. Also, I am terribly sorry for the update delay, I've just been so busy lately... **

**Question of the Day: On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you because Itachi's going to get laid? **

**Next chapter, Sasuke takes on the Jonin Exams! See you all!**


	60. New Saga: The Jonin Exams Begin

**I'm glad every one enjoyed the chapter with Anko. We now move on to Sasuke's Jonin Exams Arc, which will, hopefully, be full of badass-ery. Basically, the arc is to show off Sasuke's new abilities and jutsu, as well as fulfilling my urge to write fight scenes. **

_**Guest**_**: Why not? ;) **

_**seti31**_**: I'm sure he'll actually enjoy being used :P **

_**FrozenFlamingFire**_**: Hahaha your review cracked me up!**

_**AlleyCAT19**_**: It's great you're working on it, but to be honest how do you 'work on account set-up'? Don't you just create an account and do it? O.o**

_**Lin**_**: Thank you for that awesome review as usual! Yes, they could always bond over dango :P **

_**The Lady Avaritia**_**: Sexy snake lady indeed! Thanks!**

_**zarethuzumi**_**: Thank you so much for this brilliant review, hahaha! Indeed, Itachi will kinda be like Hinata, and Anko... an over-aggressive Naruto :P **

_**Tara Terra**_**: And your feeling is correct! Unfortunately, as I said I want to get to Shippuden quicker but I will always welcome other authors to adopt the idea. I might even get to writing it again if I have time to kill :) Watch this space!**

_**Keyser S**_**: A reader from Brazil! That's awesome. I watch football all the time and Brazilian footballers are complete, absolute beasts. Haha! Getting back on topic, I really love your review. 'Pet snake' indeed ;) have a good day at work! **

_**WaterDrop**_**: Thanks for the review! The Flying Thunder God...? Maybe...? ;) **

_**Pyr00tje**_**: Glad to see a review again from you! Unfortunately I'll not be getting to Shippuden until this filler arc and Itachi Gaiden is complete, but of course, I will eventually get to doing it. Yes, you should totally try doing that. Girls dig amusement parks ;) For now, my Shippuden plan doesn't have the idea of Naruto getting some, but then of course I could always change that. :P **

_**akasukifangirl**_**: Indeed! **

**Thanks to _zarni htet 7_,_ZabuzasGirl_,_Guest_,_ S.R.457_,_ seti31, airnaruto45_,_ FrozenFlamingFire_,_ XxBunniLuvXx_,_ Arch The Ripper_,_ AlleyCAT19_,_ Lin_,_ The Lady Avaritia_,_ zarethuzumi_,_ Tara Terra_,_ Keyser S_,_ hi1235_,_ WaterDrop_,_ Pyr00tje_ and _akasukifangirl_ for the reviews!**

* * *

Itachi folded his arms, surveying the surroundings of Konoha's Fifth Training Ground. His gaze then swept towards his opponent of the day.

15-year-old Sasuke Uchiha stared back at him determinedly.

The older Uchiha spoke. "Come, Sasuke. Show me what you've learnt."

Sasuke nodded, somewhat eager. His Sharingan blazed into life and he made a mad dash forward, ready to take down his brother. Doing hand seals, the Chidori crackled to life in his right hand.

"His first move is... a Chidori?" Itachi frowned. "How unusual." He jumped back, as Sasuke narrowly missed him with his attack.

To Itachi's surprise, the Chidori started to lengthen into what could best be described as a spear.

"Chidori True Spear!"

Thanks to his speed built up from being a shinobi for years, Itachi dodged the surprising attack. The lightning spear crashed into a tree and exploded, blowing the tree to bits.

"So I see you listened to me and practiced on Shape Transformation," Itachi noted.

Nodding with a smile, Sasuke's Chidori appeared again in his hand, once again forming into a spear. This time, the tip of the spear was pointy and sharp, presumably designed for impaling enemies, unlike the spear from earlier which seemed to be based more on electrifying opponents.

"Chidori Sharp Spear!"

The spear shot towards Itachi.

His two katanas wielded, the Jonin defended himself with his dual weapons.

Sasuke cancelled out the attack, rushing towards Itachi himself.

He jumped into the air, making hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Seeing the fireball, Itachi made hand seals of his own. "Water Style: Liquid Bullet."

The Water Style attack doused out the fireball. Sasuke emerged from the smoke, aiming a punch at his brother with a yell. Dodging and grabbing onto his fist, Itachi threw Sasuke onto the ground.

However, Sasuke's body started to turn blue.

Itachi frowned as he felt electricity starting to run up his wrist. Hastily, he released his hold on Sasuke, just in time as Sasuke's body transformed completely into a mass of Lightning chakra.

"Lightning Style Shadow Clone," he mused.

The smoke cleared completely, and the original Sasuke within made more hand seals.

"Lightning Beast Running Jutsu!"

Lightning chakra on Sasuke's hand was thrown to the ground, where it expanded and took the shape of a hound. With a yell, the technique's user diverted the lightning hound towards Itachi.

Backing into a tree, Itachi then jumped away, and the beast crashed into the tree, sending electric shock waves running up it's trunk.

"Looks like Kakashi has been teaching you some new tricks," he commented, upon landing. Making the Shadow Clone hand seal to summon a clone of himself, Itachi proceeded to do the Fireball Jutsu with his lookalike. "Fire Style: Uchiha Giant Flame!"

The clone dispersed, as a fireball two times the size of a normal one flew towards Sasuke.

Looking on as the oncoming flame threatened to engulf him, Sasuke closed his eyes. Black marks, from the left side of his face, flew across to the right side, and soon his entire body was covered in these peculiar black marks.

He ripped off his shirt, and two seconds later, brownish wings sprout out from his back.

Crouching down, Sasuke then flew into the air. The giant fireball flew into the trees, destroying a number of them.

Itachi looked up. _A partial transformation into the level two stage. Interesting._ _  
_

From his aerial position, Sasuke made the hand seals for a Chidori again.

"Chidori True Spear!"

He threw his arm forward, and his attack just barely missed Itachi, exploding upon hitting the ground.

Flying back down to the ground, Sasuke's wings disappeared. The black marks on his face moved slowly until they only covered one half of his body.

He charged. Lightning chakra materialized in his hand, first being a Chidori, and then shaping into a sword.

"Chidori Blade!" Sasuke cried, as he reached Itachi and swung his weapon.

Swiftly, Itachi unsheathed his dual katanas, parrying the attack from the lightning sword.

Both Uchihas engaged in a short battle of swords, and finally, Sasuke jumped back, his sword disappearing.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

He proceeded to bite his left thumb, but stopped as Itachi held up a hand.

"That's enough for today," he smiled. "You are getting way into the battle. You should be saving your energy up for the exams."

"I just wanna give you a good fight," Sasuke stretched. "Anyway, I'm going to practice my Lightning Style jutsu with Kakashi-sensei."

Itachi nodded. "Remember to come back for dinner."

As Sasuke ran off, Itachi chuckled.

_He's always so enthusiastic when it comes to being a ninja... But I hope he doesn't exhaust himself too much today. The Jonin Exams are tomorrow, after all... _

* * *

Sasuke walked towards a familiar training ground.

The Forest of Death awaited in the distance.

Jonin hopefuls gathered outside, Chunin from every village, talking among themselves.

Sasuke had no idea why the promotion exams were always held in Konoha. He wondered who decided these things - as in which village held what, but decided not to exhaust his brainpower too much at the moment.

Continuing to walk, he kept an eye out among the Chunin crowd.

Menacing shinobi from foreign villages glared at him, as if directing a warning. Sasuke didn't care. He kept looking for the one he wanted to find.

Jonin Exam rules stated that instead of three-man teams, there would be two-man teams. Basically, each Jonin hopeful had to find a partner to partake in the exams with them.

Itachi had not told him who his partner was, preferring to keep the element of suspense.

There were no familiar Konoha ninja in sight. Was his partner someone he didn't know?

In the words of a certain Shikamaru Nara, that would be extremely troublesome.

"There you are..."

Sasuke turned.

"... Sasuke Uchiha."

Neji Hyuga gave him a smile and a polite nod, something rare for a Hyuga clan member.

"You're my partner, then?"

"Indeed," Neji confirmed.

Sasuke shook his fellow Chunin's hand. He didn't know Neji all that well, but was confident they could work together. _An acquaintance is always better than a stranger,_ he told himself with a smile.

"Alright, participants, listen up!"

Sasuke and Neji looked up immediately.

Asuma Sarutobi stood on top of the fence keeping the village out from the Forest of Death. The son of the Sandaime had a bright smile on his face.

_Nothing like the instructors in the Chunin Exams,_ Sasuke thought with a scowl.

"There will be three parts in this year's Jonin Exams," Asuma informed. "The stage set for the first and second round, will be..." He gestured towards the dark, unwelcoming scenery behind him. "... the 44th Training Ground, otherwise known as the Forest of Death."

None of the Chunin flinched.

Asuma smiled.

Sasuke wasn't surprised. They were all Chunin, after all!

"So tell us what the first part of the exams is about, already! We've been waiting here for an hour!" One Suna shinobi complained.

Although ignoring him, Asuma did not ignore his request. "In the first part of the Jonin Exams, all of you will start at one of the 44 gates situated around the area. Your partner, however, will be at a different gate."

Sasuke nodded, digesting this information slowly.

"Both of you will be handed one of these each..."

Asuma held up what seemed like an amulet split into half. The design of the Konoha symbol was on it.

"Your finishing point will be at the tower within the forest... but you will only be permitted to enter..." The Jonin instructor pieced the two amulet halves together to form one complete amulet. "... once you have a complete piece."

_So we all get a half of that thing... and we have to find our partner to retrieve the other half... wait!_ Neji's hand shot up.

Asuma noticed. "Yes?"

"Can we attack the other exam participants for their half of that amulet?"

"Good question," the former Guardian Ninja nodded. "Of course, yes, you can do that, but you cannot enter the tower without your registered partner by your side."

A Mist Chunin then spoke up, evident frustration and boredom laced in his voice. "Does that mean there will be no battling or fighting in this first part?"

Asuma grinned. "Here comes the fun part... There will be ten Jonin in the forest stationed at various positions, and will attack anyone they see. Their amulet half will be stolen if they're defeated."

Quite a number of the Chunin gasped.

"But of course, if you are defeated by one of the Jonin mentioned, you can attack and steal the amulets of other participants."

Sasuke smirked. _Things just got interesting. _

"Now all of you have been filled in, go over to that booth, and submit your registration form." Asuma pointed over to a booth, where two Konoha shinobi signaled with a wave.

Sasuke and Neji walked in together, placing their forms down.

"Sasuke Uchiha... 15... Partner... Neji Hyuga... Right, you're all set. Good luck for the exams," the Leaf ninja smiled. Sasuke and Neji both nodded in thanks, and patiently moved to the side, waiting for the other Chunin.

* * *

Sasuke looked up at his gate number. The number 39 stared right back at him.

He was gathered at the gate along with a few other participants - two from the Mist, one from the Sand and one from the Leaf.

The two Kiri shinobi were talking incessantly about the exams.

"These Jonin Exams are going to be so dangerous...!"

"Yeah. You know who my partner is so you better not go attack him if you see him!"

"Of course not, heh. Anyway, I've heard someone from the Uchiha clan is taking part in the exams!"

"The Uchiha clan? Of Konoha? Wow..."

"Yeah! We've gotta watch out for him. If he's an Uchiha he must be one of the best Chunin taking part in this..."

Sasuke smirked. _Some people can be so dense sometimes... _

But then again, the Uchiha symbol sewn onto his back was hidden by the flak jacket he wore. However, he had one symbol on each sleeve.

"You have one and a half days to reach the tower," Asuma's booming voice declared from a nearby speaker.

"One and a half?" The Suna ninja gasped.

"And now... begin!"

The gates opened.

* * *

**Apologies for the ridiculously short chapter. I wanted to kick things off before we started. **

**I hoped the first chapter of this filler arc satisfied you, and Sasuke's new abilities. Just a tad bit better than a mini Kakashi. And yes, Sasuke knows the Summoning Jutsu! :O **

**Question of the Day: What do you think Sasuke's summoning is? ;) **

**Want a hint...? It's an animal :P **

**In the next chapter, Sasuke fights his way through the Forest of Death. See you all :) **


	61. Forest Trekking: Sasuke's Prowess

**We are back! Plenty of people to reply to and thank, so let's get down to it. Interestingly enough, only ONE person guessed the species of Sasuke's summoning when I popped the question last chapter. I'm impressed, I wasn't expecting anyone to have a correct guess ;) **

**If you want a hint, Sasuke's summoning animal is based off the suggestion of an anonymous reviewer who went by the name _Danish78_. If you dig his review out from one of the many pages of reviews for this story, then you'll know what animal I'm talking about :P **

_**enerongoku77**_**: I really haven't thought about that yet, but probably, yeah. **

_**Arch The Ripper**_**: No, not a Baku :P **

_**NTA FANFIC**_**: And we have a winner! Ding ding ding! Jokes aside, no, it is most definitely an ANIMAL ;) **

_**TheOrangeStar802**_**: We'll see about Naruto being Jonin! He'll definitely be taking the Jonin Exams sometime soon though. A lovely little hint for one of my self-created arcs in _Team Itachi: Shippuden _;) **

_**Pyr00tje**_**: It MUST be a hawk? Are you sure? ;) And I totally agree with you! Hate Sasuke in canon :/ **

_**Cookiesany1**_**: Our lovely pink-haired maiden will only return in _Team Itachi: Shippuden_.**

_**Lin**_**: Dogs? Monkeys? Snakes? What will it be? :P **

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: To be fair, I don't think Kishi has the decision of the existence of fillers in the anime and what the filler episodes should be about :P thanks for the awesome review once again. **

_**NewWings**_**: DEFINITELY a hawk, eh? **

_**zarethuzumi**_**: I have actually read the works of our little friend Fadedwriterpiece and I am quite a fan. My favorite work of his is _Menma's Sexy Jutsu. _I do have a perverse side ;) and to be honest I would love to write a lemon but I have no confident in my lemon skills. I'll think about approaching Faded, but I think this story will do without a lemon at the moment really. **

_**GrandMasterSkywalkerDaemonhunt**_**: Firstly, nice name! Secondly, Kurenai and Asuma are together and I don't want Itachi to be a third party. **

**Thanks to _enerongoku77_,_ JuliaUchiwa_,_ Arch The Ripper_,_ NTA FANFIC_,_ TheOrangeStar802_,_ Pyr00tje_,_ Awais_,_ Fernlight_,_ Hhjig_,_ Cookiesany1_,_ Lin_,_ Hachibi8tails_,_ NewWings_,_ zarethuzumi _and _GrandMasterSkywalkerDaemonhunt_ for the reviews!**

* * *

Sasuke rushed into the gates, along with the five Kiri, Suna and Konoha shinobi.

_We only have one and a half day... I have to reach Neji, fast. _

_He has the Byakugan, and I have the Sharingan. We should locate each other pretty quick._

_Alright, now... Sharingan! _

His eyes giving off a glow of red, Sasuke scanned the area. The ninja he had entered the gate with had all scattered, and he was now left alone in the gloomy forest. With his Sharingan unable to stretch to far distances unlike the Byakugan, Sasuke could spot no one nearby.

Grunting, he kept his dojutsu activated, just in case.

That certainly paid off.

Turning sharply, Sasuke jumped off the branch he was standing on, narrowly avoiding an incoming foot.

He landed on the ground. His attacker soon joined him, and Sasuke frowned.

"Asuma-sensei... You are taking part in this too, huh?"

Asuma grinned. "I never said I wasn't."

_The kid's got moves... he dodged my surprise attack... not many people have done that... well, he is an Uchiha, after all. _

"I didn't think the stationed Jonin would be moving this quickly," Sasuke commented. "Well, I suppose it will be enriching to test my abilities against a Jonin..."

Asuma's grin broadened. He liked the kid's style. The Chakra Blades in his hands started glowing blue with Wind chakra.

Both ninjas began charging at each other.

* * *

Neji leaped up into the trees.

_This is a good spot._

His hands clapped into the needed hand seal.

"Byakugan!"

His vision immediately extended, and was surprised at what he saw. There were at least twelve Chunin scattered around the Forest of Death, lying on the ground, unconscious, as if they had been beaten up.

The Leaf Jonin around the forest were doing their work quickly. Neji was quickly on the alert. A man wearing the garb of a Jonin was not far from him.

Not interested in throwing himself into an unneeded confrontation, Neji swiftly escaped the area, his Byakugan eyes searching left and right for a certain Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

The Chidori crackled to life in Sasuke's hand. Asuma watched with interest as it turned into a blade.

As soon as Asuma was within range, Sasuke swung his weapon, and it clashed with Asuma's trench knives.

"Wind is strong against Lightning, but..." Sasuke smiled. "... you'll be downed in no time."

Asuma ignored his opponent, attacking again. Sasuke parried his knives' blows with his sword, and knocked the Chakra Blades off Asuma's hands and onto the ground.

He then received a kick in his gut, knocking him back. The brief lapse in focus caused the blade in his hand to flicker away.

Picking up his Chakra Blades quickly, Asuma leaped into the air, and descended on Sasuke with his knives ready to deal some damage.

"Chidori True Spear!"

He used the Chidori again, and it extended into a spear to blow Asuma away.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Small fireballs were spat towards Asuma, who dodged them easily and charged towards Sasuke again.

_He's trying to lure me into a battle of close combat,_ Sasuke concluded. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Asuma leaped into the air, and the flame dragon went charging through his legs.

_Damn,_ Sasuke shook his head, as Asuma continued his charge._ If he wants to fight head-on, I'll give him a fight._

Lightning chakra began generating from his fists.

With a roar, Sasuke jumped into the air over the charging Asuma, and tried to sock his back. However, the Jonin turned, blocking the punch with his weapons.

Feeling his Chakra Blades slowly being pushed back as Sasuke pressed his fist against them, Asuma kicked his opponent away, and pocketed the knives.

Not giving Sasuke time to recover, Asuma dashed up, aiming a flurry of punches at the younger teenager.

Amazingly, Sasuke dodged every single one of them, and crouched down, before sending Asuma flying into the air with a kick to his chin, a rather surprising move.

_The Dancing Leaf Shadow,_ Asuma thought with a frown.

Sasuke, having made a leap into the air, was behind Asuma. The duo were suspended in mid-air, gravity threatening to win the battle against them at any second.

"Hyaaa!"

Asuma used his arms to block a kick launched by Sasuke, who smirked. Just what he'd wanted.

As the Sandaime's offspring pushed his left leg off, the right side of Sasuke's body rose further into the air. Now fully on top of Asuma, he proceeded to attack the higher-ranked ninja with punches and kicks.

A punch went up his stomach, and a foot slammed into his face, causing Asuma to groan, and pushed further towards the ground.

"Haaa!"

Now, a punch went into his face, and then three consecutive kicks into his chest.

Gravity was at full force on the Jonin now as Asuma plummeted towards the ground with increased velocity from Sasuke's blows. Just before Asuma landed, Sasuke got close, and tilted his entire gravitational energy into his fist, landing with it in Asuma's face.

Asuma's head was trapped between Sasuke's fist and the ground.

Time seemed to stop, and finally, Sasuke dealt the punch, his fist slamming into Asuma's cheek, and in turn, his head slammed against the ground.

"Lions Barrage!"

A small, almost undetectable crack could be heard.

Asuma spat out a puddle's worth of blood. More blood dripped from his lips, and he soon fell unconscious.

Sasuke gulped. Had he hit Asuma too hard?

He had no time to think about that. As he looked around, his Sharingan detected several shinobi around the area, hidden from sight... was it an ambush?

Deciding not to waste any time, Sasuke generated Lightning chakra in his palm. They shaped into multiple mini-sized needles.

"Chidori Senbon!"

He swung his arm, and the senbon flew into the trees. A scream was heard and Sasuke smirked as a teenager slightly older than him fell from his hiding spot, the Lightning needles pierced around his chest and abdomen. He donned a forehead protector that signaled his loyalty to the Hidden Mist.

The next thing he knew, another three Kiri shinobi descended from the trees, all glaring at him. They looked beaten up, like they'd been through a war.

"It's three against one! Surrender your amulet half!" One of them barked.

Sasuke blinked.

Another one of them turned back, suddenly noticing the unconscious Asuma in the corner. "Hey! That's a Jonin!"

His Kiri companions let that information sink in... and then they turned to look at Sasuke with fear now evident in their eyes.

"Hmph." The Chidori showed up in his hand, for probably the hundredth time that day. "If you want to fight, I can give you a fight."

The three Kiri ninjas backed away.

But the tallest of the three started shouting. "G-Guys! Don't fear! It's three against one! He can't possibly take out all of us at one go! Let's gang up on him!"

This battle cry seemed to liven up his fellow colleagues, and the three Chunin stepped up, their eyes never leaving their Uchiha opponent, who just stared at them in an expression that seemed to describe his boredom.

"Step back, guys!"

"Okay, Daiki," the other two said together.

The one called Daiki made a few hand seals. A nearby river aided in his attack. "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"

Sasuke did the exact same. "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"

Both identical techniques clashed with each other, eventually ending with a giant explosion of water and temporary rainfall.

"Whaaat?! You use the Water Style too?" Daiki was in disbelief. Then he noticed the red pupils and the three tomoe in his opponent's eyes, and he almost fell over in shock. "Is that the S-Sharingan? You're an Uchiha?"

Not giving an answer, Sasuke was instantly behind Daiki, the Chidori Blade in his hand.

The Kiri Chunin gave a loud gasp as he was impaled from the back.

The blade flickered away, leaving only the wound, and Daiki collapsed.

"I missed a vital spot," Sasuke said, looking down at Daiki, who was panting heavily. "But of course, if your blood keeps flowing out like that, you are going to be dead within an hour..."

One of the Kiri ninjas rushed over, warily eyeing Sasuke before placing his hands on Daiki's wound and frantically healing him with the Healing Jutsu.

_A medical-nin... ah,_ Sasuke looked down at the scene below him. _Still, it's surprising how these guys think they can be Jonin... they are barely Chunin level... How did they even get promoted?_

"Water Style: Water Slicing Blade!"

Sasuke roundhouse-kicked the last Mist nin, who had tried to launch a surprise attack. In his hands, he now wielded water manipulated into the form of a sword. _An interesting technique,_ the Uchiha thought, as his own Chidori Blade took form in his hand.

"Mizuki, be careful!" The medical-nin of the Kiri trio yelled in alarm. "You're going to become like Daiki if you aren't careful!"

Mizuki nodded with a grunt, his face now filled with anger, nothing like the alarmed and fearful look he had earlier upon the revelation of Sasuke's association with the Uchiha name.

"You injured my friend and now you're going to pay!" He lunged forward.

Sasuke side-stepped, and sliced the water sword into two with his Lightning weapon. It immediately reverted back to it's original form, and the water sploshed down onto the ground.

However, Mizuki wasn't given much time to demonstrate his prowess again, as he soon collapsed, much like Daiki had.

Neji stood behind him, in the stance of the Gentle Fist.

"Neji," Sasuke greeted.

Mizuki got back up on his feet, but was promptly knocked to the ground again.

"Y-You... bastards..."

Ignoring the opponents he had felled, Sasuke walked over to the medical-nin who had just finished working on Daiki's wound. He stepped back, extremely afraid, but Sasuke rose his arms in surrender.

"Listen, I want you to heal your comrades, and then help that guy over there," Sasuke pointed over to Asuma.

"O-O-Okay," the medical-nin nodded frantically.

Sasuke nodded, and leaped into the trees. Neji followed, leaving the Kiri ninjas and Asuma behind.

Taking out his half of the amulet, he entrusted it to Neji for safekeeping, and the Hyuga prodigy quickly pieced it together with his own half, forming a complete amulet. The two Konoha nin nodded at each other, and made their way towards the tower.

_The Sharingan and the Byakugan,_ Sasuke mused._ We make a good team._

* * *

**I wasn't really satisfied with the chapter but hopefully you guys were. **

**Question of the Day: So, the raging question continues. WHAT EXACTLY IS THE SPECIES OF SASUKE'S SUMMON?**

**In the next chapter, Sasuke and Neji continue their trek through the Forest of Death, beating off more Jonin and Chunin to reach the tower. See you all next time. **


	62. Lightning vs Lightning: Kakashi's Visit

**So many reviews to reply to! Not that I'm complaining ;) **

_**Tara**** Terra **_**has published her own story that will depict the Sugoi Herbs Arc that I decided to scrap. The story is appropriately titled the _Sugoi Herbs Arc. _As she was very interested in the idea for the arc, I have decided to grant permission for her to write it. I have handed the basic idea of the arc to _Tara Terra_, although she'll be writing the ending by herself. I hope you guys will give that story a read and a review :) **

**For the summoning question thing, 5 reviewers got the answer correct, and another one had the answer in one of his answers (he gave four answers). So it should be pretty obvious what the species of the animal summoning is by now. **

**Reading _Arch The Ripper _and _Hachibi8tails'_ reviews, I have been reminded about the latest manga chapter. Have all of you read it? It is truly fucking epic! Sasuke is a good guy again, and I especially loved the part when the revived Hokage jumped onto the heads of their own stone faces at the Hokage Monument. Epic. **

_**NTA FANFIC**_**: A dragon summoning would be super epic, but that would be so overpowered. :P **

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: Thank you for your usual epic review. You want more and you will have more. I am surprised you like it's fast pacing though, because I believe that the fast pace of my story is one of my weak links. **

_**Fernlight**_**: Is it? ;) **

_**Arch The Ripper**_**: ****Indeed :D**

_**zarethuzumi**_**: I didn't disagree with your opinion on Faded, if you didn't read my reply to your review carefully, hahaha. Sai will be in the sequel of course, but you will just have to wait and see what kind of role he'll play. **

_**AlleyCAT19**_**: That's what I'm going to do :) **

_**TheOrangeStar802**_**: You deserve applause for coming up with just that in one night ;) **

_**Awais**_**: You don't scare me! RARRR**

_**Cookiesany1**_**: Have you been reading the story? If so, you will know that it pairs Sasuke up with Kin. I've left NaruSaku hints here and there throughout the story as well because I'm planning to make the sequel NaruSaku in the future. Also if you've read my profile, you will know I dislike NaruHina with some sort of passion, so there's no chance of me writing a NaruHina story :P and thank you! I think you are an amazing reviewer yourself! :) **

**Thanks to _Guest_,_ demonic hellfire_,_ NTA FANFIC_,_ Hachibi8tails_,_ S.R.457_,_ Fernlight_,_ Arch The Ripper_,_ zarethuzumi_,_ Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan_,_ AlleyCAT19_,_ TheOrangeStar802_,_ Awais_ and _Cookiesany1 _for the reviews! **

* * *

"Sasuke. 3 o'clock."

"Gotcha." Sasuke's Chidori lengthened in his hand. "Chidori Sharp Spear!"

He thrust his hand to his left.

A scream filled the air.

Neji shook his head. "We've been attacked by the other Chunin all day. The Jonin shinobi around the forest must be hard at work."

Sasuke looked up into the sky, which had grown dark. They had until the next afternoon to reach the tower, and thus he decided it was time for a break. He informed his Byakugan-wielding counterpart.

"Alright," Neji nodded. "A rest it is."

Both stopped on top of a tree branch, and landed on the ground.

Neji kept his Byakugan activated.

"No one's near," he said, his voice laced with satisfaction. "But we should still be on our guard. I'll take the first watch."

Nodding, Sasuke sat, and rested his body against the trunk of a tree. He soon shifted positions to lying on the forest floor, and drifted off to sleep.

He woke up, to see Neji staring back at him with his white eyes. Five fingers repeatedly jabbed him in the hip.

"I'm awake," Sasuke groaned. Neji nodded, a rather sleepy look on his face. With his Byakugan still activated, it was comical. The Branch Member deactivated his dojutsu, and fell into a deep sleep.

He would have nothing to do for the next two hours at least, until an interesting enemy came along.

Shrugging, he decided to do some training, and made a few hand seals.

"Chidori Blade."

His lightning-crafted sword came to life in his hand, and Sasuke attacked a tree trunk, leaving long marks that crackled with blue electricity.

After slashing for awhile, the tree eventually succumbed, and toppled.

Sasuke frowned as the tree started it's collapse on him. He didn't want to attract attention or disrupt Neji from his much-needed rest. The Curse Seal on his neck soon spread, and joined to form dark skin. He quickly took off his shirt, throwing it to the side as wings sprouted from his back and his hair grew into a mane of sorts.

His wings, shaped like hands rose to grab the trunk, and Sasuke used his normal hands as well.

Gently, the gigantic trunk was set onto the ground without much noise.

Sasuke nodded with a satisfied grin, although to others, when in his Cursed Seal form, he looked more like an evil, grinning maniac. His dark skin parted to make way for his normal skin color once again, while his wings disappeared.

Putting his shirt back on as the marks around his face returned to his neck, Sasuke summoned the Chidori Blade again, and started breaking into an array of moves, violently stabbing the air as if it was an enemy.

Soon after, his blade flew out of his hand, parting into ten senbon.

"I know you're there," Sasuke declared. "Chidori Senbon!" He swung back, and the ten senbon flew in the direction he wanted.

He did not expect none other than Kakashi to descend and land behind him. The silver-haired Jonin attacked with a kunai. Sasuke ducked, and jumped away.

"It was tough finding you out here, Sasuke," Kakashi commented.

Sasuke smirked. "Kakashi-sensei..."

_So Kakashi-sensei is taking part in this too. _

"I want to see you in battle. Surprise me," Kakashi smiled.

Sasuke nodded. He wanted to wake Neji up, but he couldn't pass up the chance to face his tutor on his own. Then, he noticed something. "You know, Kakashi-sensei, you pay more attention to me than your Genin squad."

Beneath his mask, Kakashi had a sheepish smile. "Perhaps."

Wielding his Chidori Blade again, Sasuke got into a stance. "I have not seen you in battle myself. Let's see what the famous Copy Ninja can do."

With an eye-smile, Kakashi readied himself.

The two Lightning Style users stared each other down for a moment.

_Kakashi-sensei is powerful... if I get defeated here, and our amulet gets taken away, it'll be a race against time for us to qualify for the next round... should I wake Neji up?_

He looked at Kakashi again.

_No... I want to fight Kakashi-sensei myself! _

Kakashi, hands in pockets, looked calm and collected as ever.

Suddenly, Sasuke was behind him, swinging his sword.

With ease, Kakashi parried with a kunai.

Disappearing again, Sasuke reappeared in front of Kakashi's face, aiming a flying kick at the former ANBU man, who dodged and grabbed the leg, before swinging it around and tossing Sasuke away.

Landing on his feet, he grinned, relishing the battle already.

Blade in hand, Sasuke lunged for his target. Wielding two kunai, Kakashi successfully blocked every single strike from Sasuke, and to the Chunin's surprise, managed to land a small cut on his cheek.

Kakashi wasn't dubbed one of the strongest in the village for nothing.

And he hadn't even used his Sharingan! Sasuke hissed in frustration. There was a burning desire within the Uchiha, one that wanted to show Kakashi he'd not wasted his time in training him for these exams.

"Chidori!"

The Copy Ninja leaped into the air, as Sasuke's Chidori sank into a tree trunk. Moments later, the tree collapsed. Amazingly, the sleeping Neji did not stir.

"Haven't I told you not to use the Chidori on comrades?" Kakashi held a disapproving look in his one eye.

"I've lowered the power of the technique," Sasuke explained himself. "It'll only serve to injure, not kill." Lightning chakra concentrated in his right hand again, and Sasuke roared with fury as he dashed towards his opponent. "Chidori!"

With a taunting eye-smile, Kakashi side-stepped. As Sasuke dashed past him, the cycloptic ninja grabbed his collar, pointing a kunai at his neck.

"It's over."

What a surprise for him when he found out it wasn't. Sasuke exploded into a mass of blue Lightning chakra, knocking Kakashi back.

From behind a tree, the real Sasuke stepped out.

_The Lightning Style Shadow Clone,_ Kakashi grunted as he picked himself up. _He must have switched positions with his clone in the split second I took dodging his first Chidori... _

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Kakashi looked up, visibly shocked at the amount of fiery power radiating from the flame dragon Sasuke had just created from his mouth. It illuminated the entire area with it's flame body, and was genuinely gigantic.

Sasuke thrust his hand forward, and the dragon flew towards Kakashi.

_Does he want to kill me or something?_ The Team 10 captain shook his head, racing away as the dragon chased after him. In it's wake, whatever it touched exploded into nothingness.

Sensing a potentially dangerous forest fire about to start, Sasuke quickly stopped the technique, and the dragon disappeared.

Where was Kakashi? Sasuke looked around, Sharingan eyes blazing wildly.

Detecting a presence underground, he leaped up, just in time as Kakashi appeared from beneath and aimed a punch, only for it to hit the air.

He now had his forehead protector pulled up, revealing his single Sharingan eye.

"It looks like I'm going to have to start taking you seriously."

Sasuke couldn't help grinning at the comment, landing behind Kakashi. He threw a fist, but his punch was blocked and he received two feet smashing into his chest for his efforts.

Now generating Lightning chakra through his fists, a technique he had taught himself to increase the power of his taijutsu attacks, Sasuke charged again, intent on seeing his hands draw some blood.

Kakashi swerved and dodged elegantly, and Sasuke was sent flying into the air as he was kicked in the chin, and landed on the ground with a pained grunt.

Unfazed, he got back up, and managed to hit Kakashi with a one-two, before ending it with a harsh kick that sent him spiraling to the floor.

Unfortunately, the one that ended up falling onto the floor was Sasuke, and a log. Kakashi stood behind him triumphantly, his hands on his hips.

Sasuke winced. Kakashi had gave him a kick up the ass. _His Substitution Jutsu... was timed perfectly!_

"You need to work on your taijutsu, Sasuke!"

Yelling, the teen addressed threw himself back up on his feet with his hands, and aimed a low kick to trip Kakashi up. The Jonin jumped, avoiding the attack, and then sent his foot crashing into Sasuke's cheek.

He gasped, saliva flying from his mouth.

It was a struggle not to collapse. The kick seemed to have broken a cheekbone. However, Sasuke steadied himself.

_If taijutsu won't work..._

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Seeing the technique, Kakashi's hands flew into a set of hand seal movements.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Sasuke could never understand how Kakashi could use the Fireball Jutsu despite having a mask on, but had no time to be focusing on trivial things like that. Both fireballs collided, resulting in an explosion.

Neji flew awake from the sounds of battle, and only had to turn his head to see the raging battle going on between Sasuke and Kakashi. He jumped to his feet swiftly, keen on aiding his partner.

The Hyuga jumped towards Kakashi, hoping to catch him by surprise.

He was rewarded with a punch to his stomach, sending him wheeling back.

Turning, Kakashi eye-smiled as he kicked Neji in the chest and head repeatedly, knocking him back to the ground.

Sasuke came charging in again, now wielding his Chidori Blade.

"Eat this, Kakashi-sensei!" He cried, swinging the weapon. Kakashi ducked, and with kicked out again, his ninja sandal this time slamming into Sasuke's entire face and sending him flying. The Chidori Blade flickered out of sight... and so did the Sasuke clone.

"Chidori Lament!"

Kakashi swung around, narrowly avoiding the black Lightning chakra that had reached out to attack him.

Sasuke, now in his full Cursed Seal form, had his Black Chidori sizzling in his right hand. The evil-looking lightning from the powered-up Chidori was stretching forward, like a long-range Black Chidori.

_The jutsu he creates... they're astounding,_ Kakashi thought, as he jumped back.

By now, a crowd of Chunin participants had gathered to watch the battle, all amazed at the strength both Sasuke and Kakashi were displaying. Neji had decided to step back, on Sasuke's request. The Uchiha wanted a chance to down his tutor by himself.

"Chidori Lament!" Sasuke continued to attack relentlessly.

Infusing his kunai with Lightning chakra, Kakashi beat off the black lightning with his short weapon.

Tossing the kunai away, Kakashi decided to go for the next best thing. He made a few hand seals as the black lightning continued to reach him, like hungry ghosts reaching for their meal.

Solid blue Lightning chakra gathered in his hand, forming the shape of a distorted spear.

"Raikiri!"

He slammed his hand down into the black lightning, and charged. His Raikiri destroyed any black lightning that came into contact with it. Sasuke frowned.

Ending his technique, Kakashi jumped over Sasuke and in a flash, had positioned his kunai on his neck.

What he failed to notice, however, was that Sasuke's wings were not to be underestimated. They balled themselves up into fists, punching Kakashi away from Sasuke.

Sasuke wanted to use the Black Chidori, to finish this battle. However he reminded who he was fighting. Kakashi was a comrade!

As black Lightning chakra gathered in his hand for more Chidori Lament attacks, Kakashi put a hand up, signaling for him to stop.

"That's enough."

Confused, Sasuke reverted back into the Cursed Seal level one. The black marks around his face returned to that spot on his neck.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "I came to see the extent of your strength... and I've seen enough. Sasuke, you are going to ace these exams. I'm sure of it." _  
_

Sasuke's mouth formed a small 'o'.

"Well, good luck getting to the tower." A grin could be seen under his mask. "La-ter."

He teleported away, in a puff of smoke, leaving Sasuke there, frowning.

"Eh, we haven't finished our battle!"

From three hundred meters away, Kakashi chuckled, and stared at the tower in the distance. He had taken too much time enjoying himself with Sasuke. For now, it was time to continue his minimizing of the amount of Chunin passing on to the next round.

* * *

**This chapter didn't start off or end off well, but I'm particularly pleased with the fight scene myself, and I hope that satisfied you enough. In the next chapter, Sasuke and Neji reach the tower, where the second round of the exams is explained. Later! **

**Question of the Day: How are you finding the Jonin Exams Arc so far? **

**For me, it hasn't turned out as great as I would have liked :/ **

**Well, for real now, later! **


	63. The Second Test: Fight to the Death!

**I am amazed at how many reviews this story has been getting. Thank you all so much for the support. **

_**Pyr00tje**_**: Thank you! :) Go Sasuke indeed. **

_**TheOrangeStar802**_**: I'm not really the beta type :P **

_**Rain Dove**_**: YOU'RE BACK! Yes, I do feel this is a tad bit too similar to the Chunin Exams, but it's the only thing I could think up, and besides I've been planning for this since ages ago. Thank you for your holy review. **

_**Lin**_**: You forgot to name yourself! It says you reviewed under the name of Guest. Neither am I from the west :P **

_**Crystal**_**: I am unfortunately not accepting any OCs for this story because, to be honest, how do OCs fit in? I prefer to lean towards the real characters in the anime/manga. If you want to find out my age, you can click on my name and look at my profile. Thank you for your review, and your devotion to the story :)**

_**Danish78**_**: Reasonable complain there, but I couldn't really find an 'opening' to make Asuma use jutsu... And actually I, or Sasuke, created the Chidori Blade technique to compensate for his lack of a sword here in non-canon, so the Chidori Blade will stay as the replacement of the Kusanagi for now. Your idea is fairly interesting but there is one loophole in the fact that Sakumo's Chakra Blades were destroyed years ago in the battle of Kannabi Bridge.**

**Apologies for the lack of review replies. I'm just getting a bit lazy. **

**Thanks to _demonic hellfire, Pyr00tje, NTA FANFIC, TheOrangeStar802, Awais, Arch The Ripper, Rain Dove, Lin, akasukifangirl, Started From The Bottom, SonYukiGokusSister, shadowphantomnes, Crystal, enerongoku77, FrozenFlamingFire_ and _Danish78_ for the reviews!  
**

* * *

Sasuke and Neji landed. In front of them were the doors to their destination - the tower in the middle of the forest.

Nodding at each other, they entered.

A ninja nearby, not recognized by both Jonin hopefuls, nodded at the duo and informed them they were three hours early, and that there were refreshments, restrooms and resting areas in the tower where they could wait and replenish their energy.

Sasuke was tempted to hit the tower hot springs immediately, but didn't think it would be a good idea. Instead, he grabbed a bottle of plain water and headed upstairs to watch some TV. He wouldn't mind living in the tower, save for the fact it was in the middle of a scary forest. The tower itself was like a hotel resort.

Three hours came all too soon, and both dojutsu users gathered at the first floor of the tower - the sparring arena.

Sasuke inspected the teams that had arrived. He gasped at the number.

Five teams, comprising of ten Chunin. Tossing him and Neji into the mix, that was six teams, and twelve Chunin.

He had counted more than a hundred before the start of the exams.

The Jonin scattered around the forest had done more work than he'd thought.

That wasn't possible. He had defeated Asuma, and drove Kakashi back. Was it that hard repelling the other Jonin?

Then again, Sasuke was trained by Itachi and Kakashi - two of the best shinobi in Konoha.

He observed the passing Chunin. Among the five teams, one was from the Leaf, like them. Two from Kiri, and another two from Suna made up the six.

"Alright, listen up."

Asuma, his head heavily bandaged, addressed the Chunin, who all glanced at him with wide eyes. Only Sasuke smirked at him. Asuma noticed this, and shook his head.

"In the first part of the exams, we tested your skills and teamwork, two things that are vital to every Jonin. Of course, some of you here did not display adequate teamwork, but what we can confirm is all of you here are extremely skillful. All of you ran into one or more Jonin at some point or another during the exam, yet you managed to escape, or defeat the Jonin, with your amulet. Congratulations on passing to the next stage of the exams."

The other nine Jonin behind Asuma started clapping, one of them Kakashi.

As the applause died, Asuma continued speaking. "This next test will lean more on teamwork, and unlike in the Forest of Death, all of us ten Jonin will be standing here, watching and grading you."

Sasuke didn't get it. _Grading? _

The walls started moving. Sasuke gasped as the battle arena they were currently standing in expanded. The entire area now had approximately equal width to a small village.

"All twelve of you here... will fight to the death."

All the Chunin present tensed up.

"But of course, the thing to show here will be teamwork," Asuma emphasized greatly on his last word. "Do not work alone. That's key to passing this test."

He looked at a nearby clock.

"All of you will have an hour to rest," he said. "Then, you will be thrown into this arena, and fight until we finish our evaluation. The two-man teams that demonstrate teamwork best, will pass."

"What if a team shows teamwork, but they get defeated... or killed?" One Chunin asked.

"Then you just have to stay alive," Asuma winked.

Sasuke looked around, observing the Chunin that had gathered.

_These Jonin Exams... are way, way more dangerous than the Chunin Exams... __  
_

* * *

On the second floor, where people could spectate the battle arena, Sasuke and Neji rested.

"What do you think?"

Sasuke looked back at Neji. "Huh?"

Neji fixed him with a halfhearted smirk. "Got any confidence?"

"Yeah," the Uchiha shrugged. "It's just... the thought of having to kill people... it bothers me."

Neji nodded in understanding. "Anyway, we are going to have to work together, so we should take this last half an hour to discuss our tactics, how we'll fight, and everything."

Thinking about this for a moment, Sasuke finally nodded. "You're right. Let's do it."

In thirty minutes, all the Chunin had returned to the arena, and all the Jonin were on top, looking down at them.

"This will end in five hours... or when there is only one team left standing," Asuma declared. "... Begin."

_That was abrupt,_ Sasuke thought.

Cries of battle followed, as a Kiri team proceeded to attack a Suna team.

Another Konoha team quickly joined in the fight.

Sasuke smirked, getting an idea. Before any of the other two teams could try anything funny, he jumped into the air, making hand seals.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

He aimed his technique at the six battling shinobi from Kiri, Suna and Konoha. The Leaf and Mist ninjas jumped clear just in time, but the team from the Sand was caught off-guard, and were caught in a heavy explosion.

They flew into the air, and landed with a loud crash, burns all over their wounded bodies. They were still alive, but heavily injured.

More battle cries came, as the two Kirigakure teams attacked together, apparently having forged a temporary alliance.

Neji placed his hands together.

"Byakugan!"

Sasuke walked up to stand beside Neji, his black pupils soon turning blood red. A Chidori appeared in his hand, forming the shape of a sword.

Both dojutsu-wielding ninjas nodded at each other. Sasuke jumped forward first.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!"

Three of the Kiri men blasted their technique towards their fourth member. Sasuke looked on in confusion, but then understood as the gushing water was quickly shaped into a blade upon touching the Kiri ninja's hand.

"Water Style: Water Slicing Blade."

This sword-wielding Chunin attacked Sasuke. The two engaged in a sword fight, as the other three Kiri ninjas went for Neji.

Gracefully avoiding all of their punches and kicks, Neji raced towards Sasuke instead of retaliating. The sword-wielding Mist nin was too engrossed in the battle, and was only alerted to a presence behind him when he heard a voice.

"8 Trigrams..."

Sasuke jumped over his opponent, getting out of the way. The Mist nin tried to do the same, but it was too late.

"2 Palms!"

Two palms slammed into his back, and he started feeling strange. His water sword exploded and water droplets flew everywhere.

"4 Palms!"

He was definitely feeling weakened now. He tried to get away, but more palmed attacks kept him in place.

"8 Palms!"

From the corner of his eye, the Mist nin noticed his three comrades attempting to help, but were being handled by Sasuke, who was driving them back with Fire Style attacks.

"16 Palms!"

The Chunin started feeling blood rising from his gullet.

"32 Palms!"

The blood was spat out, narrowly missing Neji's face.

"8 Trigrams..."

A brief moment passed, and the Mist nin sighed in relief. He didn't know how, but these palmed attacks were harming him, and he was glad they'd stopped.

"... 64 Palms!"

He screamed as he flew back at alarming speed. As gravity finally forced him down onto the ground, he could feel no chakra coursing through his body - only blood, blood, and more blood rising into his throat. He spat them out, as the red liquid trickled down his lips.

In the spectator zone above, Kakashi smiled. _So they are working to take them out one by one. _

"Good job, Neji," Sasuke grinned. He was having a real struggle. These Kiri ninjas weren't like the ones he'd faced in the forest. They were stronger, better, faster. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

It was the fourth fireball he had conjured up against the Kiri trio. They all jumped back, avoiding the ball of flames. As their attention were focused on the technique, Sasuke rushed towards the ninja on the left, kicking him in the face.

Lightning chakra crackled in his left hand and with it, he punched this particular Chunin in the stomach, causing him to scream in pain.

His two companions dashed towards Sasuke, intent on providing assistance.

"8 Trigrams Air Palm!"

One of the two was blown back by a strong force of air.

"8 Trigrams Air Palm!"

The other was also given the same treatment. Neji looked on as they flew through the air, and rushed to Sasuke, who was mercilessly assaulting the poor Kiri ninja with his punches.

Sasuke stepped aside, and the beaten-up Kiri teen decided to take the opportunity to recover, but was given no time. An array of palmed attacks rained on his chest, knocking him to the ground.

As he tried to get up, realization hit him. "I-I can't use any jutsu..."

The other Kiri ninjas leaped towards Sasuke and Neji, their faces filled with rage.

"Earth Style!" They cried together. "Twin Earth Dragon!"

A gigantic two-headed dragon made from mud rose from the ground, roaring with anger and drawing the attention of the other Chunin in the arena.

Sasuke and Neji stared as the dragon descended on them in an attempt to crush the two with mud.

Expressions of glee flew onto the two Kiri ninjas' faces as their earth dragon hit the target, exploding as soon as they hit. Mud flew everywhere, and briefly rained down on the people in the arena.

However, as the Kiri ninjas gained sight of their opponents again, they gasped.

Sasuke and Neji were enclosed in a blue, semi-circled barrier of Lightning chakra.

"Lightning Style..." Sasuke smirked. "... Lightning Barrier."

Rage returned to the expressions on the Kiri ninjas' faces, and they charged forward, keen on finishing Sasuke and Neji.

The barrier disappeared, and the Chidori registered itself on Sasuke's hand.

"Chidori True Spear!"

Raising this particular hand, he watched as it slammed into one of his two opponents, creating a lightning-charged explosion. The other Chunin, not hit by the spear, was flung towards them.

"Rotation!" Neji cried. As soon as the Mist ninja hit the spinning blue sphere erected around Neji, he gave a pained shout, and flew back.

This one refused to give up however. He looked at his comrades. One of them was lying, unconscious with blood all over his lips. The other was on the ground, unable to get up from the pain, as well as being horribly weakened. The last one had an alarmingly large wound on his chest.

"Give up, or we'll make you," Sasuke warned.

The Cursed Seal on his neck started generating black marks that only traveled up his left arm. These marks fused to form dark skin, on only that particular arm.

_It's amazing how much control he has over that Cursed Seal of his! He must have been training... really, really hard,_ Neji thought.

The Black Chidori was powered up in his different-colored arm.

Intimidated for a moment, the Kiri nin stepped back. Then, he growled and jumped forward. "You don't scare me, bastard!"

"Chidori Lament!" Sasuke threw his arm in front, and black Lightning chakra spread from the Black Chidori on his hand, shooting towards the Kiri ninja.

With surprising agility, the target dodged Sasuke's electrifying attempts. He finally got close to the Uchiha, and with a roar, tried to punch him in the stomach.

Neji stepped forth, his palm connecting with this Kiri ninja's face and knocking him off his feet.

He jumped back up, making hand seals. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon!"

A mud dragon rose from the ground, smaller than the two-headed dragon earlier, but still looking menacing.

"Didn't you hit him earlier?" Sasuke asked curiously, as the dragon flew towards them.

Neji shook his head. "There are no chakra points on his face."

The Cursed Seal sprang to life again, and the black marks of the powerful fuinjutsu spread over Sasuke's face. He threw his shirt off, showing off the black tattoo-like marks on his well-toned chest, and flew off as wings sprouted from his back.

Neji jumped away just in time as well, as the Kiri nin stared at Sasuke. "Wh-What?"

Flying towards their opponent at breakneck speed, Sasuke charged up a considerable amount of Lightning chakra in his fist, and flew into him with his fist making contact with his face.

There was a crack, and the Kiri nin flew back.

He put his shirt back on as the marks and the wing faded. "He won't be fighting for some time."

_He's putting his opponents out of commission, but he's refusing to kill them,_ Asuma realized.

"Who shall we fight next?" Sasuke turned, to see the two Suna ninjas that he'd burnt with the Great Dragon Flame Jutsu earlier, being defended by their fellow Sand shinobi. They were battling against the other Konoha duo, who looked like they wanted to attack and kill the unconscious ones on the ground.

Neji jumped into the fray, rushing into the middle of the fight and using the 8 Trigrams Palm Rotation, and Sasuke looked on in amusement as the Suna and Konoha duo flew off in different directions.

"It's the punk from the Hyuga's Branch House," one of the Konoha Chunin growled. "Let's take care of him."

Suddenly, he felt himself being picked up by his collar, and smashed into the nearby wall. Sasuke grinned, as he powered up a Chidori in his other hand, and smashed it into his fellow Leaf colleague's back.

It was a weakened Chidori, but the Konoha nin still felt extreme pain as he was dumped onto the ground.

"Satori," his partner stared in a mixture of shock and anger.

The two Sand ninjas, sensing this as an opportunity, roared their heads off and attacked him.

One descended underground, while another continued charging up.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

The Leaf nin was pulled underground, as the user of the technique jumped back onto land.

"Wind Style: Wind Sword!" The other Suna nin smirked, as an invisible blade materialized in his hand, before flying for the neck of the Konoha ninja.

Desperately, the target of the attack grabbed onto the foot of the Earth Style-using Suna ninja before he could jump away, just as the blade flew into his neck.

Neji cringed as his head started flying off.

"That's what you get for trying to fight the Sand," said the Wind Style user with a wicked smile.

This smile faded into a look of shock as his team partner turned to face him, to reveal he was the Konoha ninja, with an equally wicked smile of his own. He gestured towards the head that had fallen onto the ground.

To the Suna nin's shock, it was the head of his team partner.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Before the Suna nin could react, flames shaped into a dragon burst towards him, hitting his stomach and exploding, ripping his clothes apart and drawing a roar of pain.

The Suna nin flew back, bloodied. As he landed on the ground, he coughed out. "How?"

Kakashi shook his head at the gore, answering the question for the Chunin. _A perfectly timed Substitution Jutsu..._

Sasuke took this as the cue to move in.

"Chidori Sharp Spear!"

The Konoha ninja noticed, and jumped into the air, avoiding the lengthening spear. "Fire Style: Flaming Vortex Jutsu!" From his mouth came a vortex of fire, rushing towards Sasuke.

Neji quickly made the move forward, engaging the young man in close combat with his Gentle Fist. This made the ninja stop his technique, and the vortex disappeared into smoke before it reached Sasuke.

"So it's true then," he murmured, skillfully avoiding Neji's blows, and then cleverly side-stepping before hitting his Hyuga assaulter in the neck and knocking him down, something that started to make Neji cough. "Both a Hyuga and an Uchiha kid entered the exams."

"What's it to you?"

Sasuke was quickly behind the stranger, Chidori Blade in hand. With an ear-piercing shout, he thrust it forward.

In a split second, the young man had revealed his own blade, countering Sasuke's strike with it.

At that moment, Sasuke smirked. "Surprise."

The man raised an eyebrow, but then jumped back swiftly.

Just in time, as Sasuke exploded into a mass of lightning.

The real Sasuke appeared behind the ninja again, this time with a Chidori in hand. Another shout followed as Sasuke ran up to attack, but he missed as the Leaf nin dived away.

"My name is Shin Yaiba," he introduced himself, brushing a lock of his outrageously long orange hair off his eye.

"I don't care," Sasuke replied matter-of-factly.

Shin laughed. "You should... for my name, followed by the word 'mercy', is what you will be crying out in ten minutes. I am going to beat you, and then I am going to be a Jonin."

Meeting his confident gaze with a cold glare, Sasuke raised his fist, his Lightning chakra sizzling on it.

"If that's what you think is going to happen... then you've got another thing coming."

* * *

**I hope you liked the... Bloody Mist-style fight scene. It's not really nicely-planned, but I hope it works. **

**Question of the Day: On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest, how much would you rate Sasuke and Neji's teamwork today? **

**In the next chapter, Sasuke and Neji battle their new friend Shin Yaiba. **

**See you all then. **


	64. Last Men Standing: Sasuke's Summon

**After much procrastination I've finally managed to get out another chapter. Here's some bad news - I won't be updating for at least a few weeks after this week because of exams. It's unfortunate, and I apologize, but I really need to score well because my past results have been really shit and I don't want to drop into the bad classes :/ **

**On a brighter note, there has been a reviewer who said he 'wanted to kill himself' after reading this story... something that made me laugh while saying "go ahead", hoping he could somehow hear. It's nice to get stupid reviews once in awhile instead of the usual "omg good job" or "please update" or "10/10". **

**_Arch The Ripper_: Unfortunately to have a career in writing, you can't only be good at writing - and I am unfortunately only good at writing and gaming.  
**

_**enerongoku77**_**: Yes, there is :) **

_**Lin**_**: It's no problem! Love the epic review as usual. **

_**Rain Dove**_**: Character bashing is annoying. The only kind I can stand is a story that bashes Danzo, because I totally hate the guy. And I didn't mean for the Kankuro-Sasuke fight to be a bashing :P I just thought Sasuke would win it easily, so that's how I wrote it. I'm glad you think I have the ability for 1000 reviews, although I don't really think so, at least, not yet. Also, Sasuke had the time to put his shirt back on because, well, the other teams were involved in fighting among themselves, really. Love the review on my profile as well ;) **

_**GrandMasterSkywalkerDaemonhunt**_**: What do you mean by shacked up? And I think Itachi can at least handle one of them on his own, but if both of them team up against him, he'll have his ass served to him... **

**_FrozenFlamingFire_: Sarcasm ;) **

_**Crush48**_**: Think it's your first. Thanks! :) **

**Thanks to _Arch The Ripper, enerongoku77, J. 586, Crystal, Lin, Pyr00tje, shadowmarialove, TheOrangeStar802, Rain Dove, GrandMasterSkywalkerDaemonhunt, FrozenFlamingFire, AlleyCAT19, Awais_ and _Crush48_ for the reviews!**

* * *

"My name is Shin Yaiba," he introduced himself, brushing a lock of his outrageously long orange hair off his eye.

"I don't care," Sasuke replied matter-of-factly.

Shin laughed. "You should... for my name, followed by the word 'mercy', is what you will be crying out in ten minutes. I am going to beat you, and then I am going to be a Jonin."

Meeting his confident gaze with a cold glare, Sasuke raised his fist, his Lightning chakra sizzling on it.

"If that's what you think is going to happen... then you've got another thing coming."

Neji jumped back up on his feet, growling. Shin dodged his Gentle Fist strikes, before jumping back and exclaiming, "Fire Style: Flaming Vortex Jutsu!"

The Fire Style technique was coming on fast, leaving Neji with no time to dodge, but Sasuke was swifter. He rushed to his teammate's aid, jumping to the front of the Hyuga and then punching the ground.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Barrier!"

Shin frowned as a barrier made from Lightning chakra shielded his opponents from the attack.

"Well, I never expected a fight against an Uchiha and a Hyuga to be easy," he grunted, producing his sword. "Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!"

Two Shadow Clones accompanied him and the trio attacked Sasuke and Neji.

"8 Trigrams Palm Rotation!"

Easily, Neji blew the the three Shins away.

All three dispersed.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Below us!" Neji cried.

Shin burst up from underground, just as Neji jumped away, positioning his sword at Sasuke's neck.

He smirked.

"I'm from Konoha as well! Do you not think I don't know anything about the Hyuga clan's techniques?" He chuckled, angering Neji. "You've been battling with Shadow Clones since the beginning of the battle..."

"And how do you not know you've not been battling with clones as well?"

Sasuke started mimicking Shin's chuckling as he spoke, and then exploded into a mass of lightning, electrifying his fellow Leaf Chunin.

Neji seized the opportunity to attack. _This battle is over,_ he thought, as his first attacks sank into Shin's body.

"8 Trigrams 64 Palms!"

An array of palmed strikes later, Shin was thrown onto the ground.

However, this Shin dispersed again.

Thanks to his Byakugan however, Neji avoided the attack from above. The original Shin had descended from the ceiling, sword raised. How he'd got up there without anyone noticing, Neji didn't know.

Sasuke reappeared, boldly engaging Shin in close combat without a sword. Skillfully avoiding the swordsman's graceful sword moves, he managed to land his right foot up Shin's cheek, and three seconds after that, his left foot slammed into his opponent's other cheek.

"So you're the real original," Sasuke grinned.

Shin shot an angry glare at him, and swiped his sword again.

Neji quickly interfered. He struck with his Gentle Fist, and to both Sasuke and Shin's amazement, halved the sword. The blade clattered to the ground, now useless for battle.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Sasuke jumped back, quickly executing the same technique.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Both fireballs clashed and cancelled out each other.

Undeterred, Sasuke made more hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

From his mouth came his majestic flame dragon, that descended upon Shin.

Shin scoffed. "Earth Style: Terra Shield!"

The dragon slammed into the shield, exploding, but Shin was safely protected.

"Earth Style: Mud Missile Jutsu!"

He raised his arm, and countless mud balls rose from the ground, throwing themselves at Sasuke.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Barrier!"

Annoyed at how the battle was going nowhere, Shin raced forward, ready to punch the lights out of Sasuke.

Neji stepped in once more, forcing Shin to defend against his Gentle Fist blows.

As he was pre-occupied with Neji, he was struck down, a Chidori Sharp Spear piercing through him.

Sasuke stopped the jutsu, and the spear disappeared, Shin collapsing to the ground with a huge hole in his chest.

Then, he turned into a log.

Reacting quickly, Sasuke shaped his Chidori Blade, waving it up to defend himself against Shin, who had attempted to drive a kunai into his head from behind.

Neji rushed in again, jumping up and sending a flying kick Shin's way, knocking him to the ground.

Now seemingly highly frustrated, Shin got back up, maintaining a defensive stance as he bit his thumb.

Sasuke realized what he was about to do. He bit his thumb as well.

As they made the required hand seals, both slammed their palms onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

* * *

_"Why have you taken me here, brother? Aren't we supposed to be training?" _

_14-year-old Sasuke looked at Itachi curiously, who just smiled at him. _

_"I've decided that it's time for you to learn how to use the Summoning Jutsu." _

_Sasuke's eyes lit up in delight. He had been waiting for this. _

_"What am I going to summon? Crows?" _

_He had always admired his brother's proficiency with the Summoning Jutsu, and how he'd used his crows in conjunction with his genjutsu skills. Now he couldn't wait to do the same. _

_"No," Itachi shook his head. "I think someone like you should be summoning something a bit more... different. That's why we are here today. We are going to get your summoning." _

_"Get?" Sasuke didn't get it... if you would mind the pun. _

_"Well, you see... the animal I have in mind for you is a little... tough to work with." _

_Sasuke didn't like the sound of it. He wanted a summon who would obey, not a rebellious one. But then again, it might be interesting to have a summon with a bit of character... _

_"What's the animal?" _

_Itachi grinned at him. "How will it be a surprise if I tell you now?" _

_Sasuke snorted. _

_They walked into the two guards. A majestic castle stood in front of them - their destination. _

_"State your business," one of the guards said. The two guards' faces were covered by helmets and armor. _

_Itachi gave them a creepy smile. His Sharingan activated, and a second later both guards collapsed onto the ground. Sasuke chuckled, as he accompanied his fellow Uchiha into the castle. _

_Somehow, the castle and the guards resembled this particular animal. For some reason, Sasuke couldn't remember which one, but he had a nagging feeling it was related to the animal he was going to see today, and the thought of being unable to remember what type of animal the guards and the castle looked like was frustrating. _

_They kept walking down a hallway, and finally Itachi stopped at a room. _

_Sasuke stopped as well, eyeing the door curiously. _

_"Unfortunately, the summon we have for you won't co-operate..." Itachi revealed. "... unless you beat him in battle." _

_He pushed the door, and it slid open. _

_Sasuke stared at the animal behind the door, and then he remembered. The castle, and the guards... They resembled a... _

_"Now get to it!" _

_"R-Right!" Sasuke rushed towards the animal, who had just noticed their presence. "You're mine!" _

* * *

"Summoning Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke, and Sasuke got a brief glimpse of Shin's summon. It was an ape, and a rather serious-looking one at that.

However, Sasuke's summon made everyone present gasp.

It was a giant, white-skinned, generally-badass looking cat.

This cat easily towered over Sasuke, and had scars all over his back, as well as one on each eye. His yellow eyes looked somewhat crazed, and murder-hungry. In one of his hands, or paws, he held a glass of wine.

Sasuke grinned.

"Meet... Nekomata."

Nekomata finished up the glass, and threw it onto the ground, where it shattered into pieces. "So you've summoned me, Sasuke," he noted, with an evil-looking smirk.

"This will be the first time I'm using you in battle," he replied. "Get ready."

"You're not using me," Nekomata argued.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine... I need your help."

"That's more like it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Asuma shook his head in disbelief. _This boy... he's learnt to summon a monster cat! Unbelievable... _

Kakashi's one single visible eye was also widened. _So Itachi has taught him the Summoning Jutsu... and Nekomata too... _

"Your cat doesn't scare me one bit," Shin declared, after awhile. "My ape will show you how it's done!"

Shin's ape shrieked in agreement, and leaped towards Neji.

Regaining his composure, Neji started spinning. "8 Trigrams Palm Rotation!"

The ape's tail shot out, lengthening and curling around the statue hands in the middle of the arena, pulling him to safety. Neji chased after it, determined to bring the summon down.

"Get back here!" Shin cried to his ape, but Neji kept him busy. With an annoyed look, the orange-haired Chunin glared at Sasuke and Nekomata. "Fine... I'll just have to bring you and your stupid cat down by myself!"

"Who are you calling stupid, punk?" Nekomata meowed with anger. "Mind you, I'm the strongest ninja cat in the world! I'll show you how it's done. Shrinking Jutsu!" He started shrinking, to Sasuke's height, and then attacked.

"Ha," Shin mocked. "What crap can a cat do? Scratch me to death?"

"What can a cat do?" Nekomata disappeared.

The surroundings of the arena turned into a pitch black.

Shin was instantly decapitated, Nekomata behind him, the cat's sharp claws doing the work of a sword.

"A lot," the cat proceeded to give a villain-like laugh.

The head of Shin rolled onto the ground.

A second later, he was pieced back together again, head and all.

Shin dropped onto his knees, hands clutching his head.

"I-Impossible... I got... beheaded... but... I-I'm... still here... w-why?"

His answer was another decapitation.

Nekomata laughed heartily as Shin reappeared in front of him again, his head reattached.

"No... stop!" The Leaf nin screamed, backing away as Nekomata advanced on him again.

He ran towards a door, and hastily opened it, in a bid to get away from the crazy cat in front of him. To his horror, Nekomata was now behind that particular door, and in an instant, he was decapitated for the third time.

As usual, he was 'revived', with Nekomata grinning madly at him.

Shin screamed.

His shadow shone on the ground - with no lights around, but science wasn't something he was thinking about at the moment. His shadow morphed into the shadow of three cats, which jumped up from the ground and attacked him mercilessly with their claws, all the while with their yellow eyeballs, which lacked pupils, staring into his eyes.

Shin started screaming again as the cats soon left him alone, on the ground, bleeding to death.

His surroundings became clear again, and he was back in the arena, on his knees, clutching his head. He welcomed the sight.

Unfortunately, the next moment, pain shot through his entire body. Shin looked down, to see a blue spear protruding from the front of his body.

Sasuke stood behind him, with his Chidori Sharp Spear stabbing into Shin's back.

"Thanks, Nekomata," Sasuke said, as the spear disappeared. Shin gasped, as he collapsed again.

"No problem," the cat meowed. "He deserved it. I trust I can return to Cat Fortress now."

"Yes. Although it was a short battle, you did your job. Thanks."

Nekomata nodded, shooting one last victorious smirk at Shin on the ground, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Just a minute later, the ape battling Neji disappeared as well.

Sasuke walked over to Shin, who glared up at him, mouthing 'bastard' as blood ran down his mouth.

Ignoring the unsaid insult, he graciously called for a medic.

* * *

**I hoped you like the brief cameo of Nekomata! It wasn't much, but I got to show off his awesome cat genjutsu here. By the way, I have never really seen the episode on Nekomata in the anime and I take what I know from Narutopedia and a YouTube action music video of Sasuke and Nekomata, but they didn't say anything about Nekomata's behavior or personality there so I've had to do that on my own. Hopefully I didn't get anything wrong. **

**Question of the Day: Sasuke vs Neji - who would win? **

**In the next chapter, the third part of the Jonin Exams are explained. **

**Until next time! **


	65. Clash of the Eyes: Neji vs Sasuke!

**I am terribly sorry for the lack of chapters these past few weeks, but as you all know - exams. My exams are not over yet, but they will officially end on 17th May. Until then, here's a new chapter to appease your hunger ;) **

**Another apology from me will be for the cancellation of the Itachi Gaiden arc, but rest assured that that will soon be published as a story itself somewhere in the middle of _Team Itachi: Shippuden_. **

**That means that after this filler arc, we will immediately move on to the sequel. Is anyone excited? **

**Did anyone guess that last chapter's Question of the Day was the Question of the Day for a reason? ;) **

_**xXFallenxBeautyxX**_**: Every author loves a new follower. Welcome to my story! The next time we will see the beautiful Sakura will be in _Team Itachi: Shippuden_ so watch out for that sequel. **

_**LONGNodaichi**_**:****Anko won't let him get away ;) **

_**Patcher**_**: Thanks for the great review. That's exactly what my story and my writing style is all about :) **

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: Thanks for the awesome review once again - your ideas are certainly interesting and I'll look to implement one or two of them if I can, hopefully. **

_**Awais**_**: Felix is a pretty cool name for a cat! **

**Thanks to _Arch The Ripper, demonic hellfire, akasukifangirl, Frozen Flaming Fire, xXFallenxBeautyxX, LONGNodaichi, Killijimaru, Crystal, blackmoon124, Patcher, Awais, Hachibi8tails, hateyuforever, legendaryhuntress, NarutoOutsidersrock9_ and _Mr. Haziq_ for the reviews! **

* * *

"Congratulations on passing the second part of the Jonin Exams," echoed a familiar voice. "Sasuke Uchiha. Neji Hyuga."

Sasuke and Neji looked up. The Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, looked down at them from the spectator stand, the Jonin in charge of the exams behind her.

"Tsunade-sama," Asuma bowed respectfully. "It's good that you've come."

The former Guardian Ninja looked down at Sasuke and Neji, who were looking back up at them expectantly.

_Unbelievable... This is the first time we've had a tag team partnership that completely defeated every single opponent in the exams. The third part of the Jonin Exams can't proceed with at least the final six participants. What should we do?_

Then, he glanced towards Tsunade. The Fifth had just arrived, and had only caught a glimpse of the battle.

Asuma made a quick decision, and whispered to the blonde Hokage. She paused for a moment, but then nodded in approval.

As the unconscious form of their previous adversary, Shin Yaiba, was carted away by two helpful medics, Sasuke and Neji looked on as Asuma conversed with Tsunade.

"Alright," Tsunade spoke up, authority in her voice. "There will be a change of plan for these exams."

"Change of plan?" Sasuke questioned.

"We didn't expect only two Chunin to be left standing for this part of the exams," Asuma revealed with a small smile on his tanned face. "So we've decided, instead of proceeding to the third part of the Jonin Exams this year, we will switch it up."

Tsunade continued on for Asuma. "The two of you entered these Jonin Exams as a team. You must know plenty about the other's techniques and ability." She stopped talking for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. "Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuga. Instead of proceeding to the next part of the Jonin Exams, the two of you will battle and the one who demonstrates better ability... will be promoted to the level of Jonin."

Sasuke and Neji stared at each other.

"And you may begin!"

Both Uchiha and Hyuga jumped away from each other, their tag team splitting apart.

"But our chakra levels are low," Neji argued. "We should at least be given time to rest before something like this."

Sasuke kept his eyes trained on Neji. "Neji is right. And also... why the sudden change? I don't want to have to fight a comrade."

"The first part of the Jonin Exams assesses your ability to complete a high-ranked mission successfully," Asuma said. "The second, assesses your skill of teamwork and team battling. The third was supposed to assess your individual ability and technique, as a ninja. This is the only replacement I can think of for the third test."

"That still doesn't explain why we're battling straight after the second test," Neji spoke.

"A living enemy won't let you rest after you've killed his comrades," Asuma shrugged. "Take these Jonin Exams as a mission. You have to fight no matter how exhausted you are to ensure the success of the mission."

_Well, since you've put it that way,_ Neji gritted his teeth.

Sasuke grinned. Truth be told, he was relishing this opportunity to fight a strong shinobi like Neji himself. "Are you ready, Neji?"

"You bet." Neji placed his hands in his familiar seal. "Byakugan!"

His Sharingan reactivated, Sasuke's Chidori came to life in his hand.

_I'll have to do my best to keep him away from me as much as possible,_ he thought. _Once his Gentle Fist hits me, this fight won't be in my favor. _

He decided to make the first move, and thrust his hand forward. "Chidori True Spear!"

Neji dodged the attack, and charged towards Sasuke. _He's going to be trying to avoid my Gentle Fist, but I won't let him...! _

Sasuke jumped back, throwing a few shuriken that failed to delay Neji's run.

Getting close, Neji attacked.

Sasuke did well to dodge, but was soon knocked to the ground with a jab to his hip.

However, on hitting the ground, Sasuke turned into a log. On it was an explosive tag.

An explosion followed, of course, but Neji was quick enough to avoid getting caught in the radius of it.

"Your speed is impressive."

Neji turned, just in time to counter his opponent's Chidori Blade.

"But I would expect nothing less," Sasuke smiled, as he pressed his chakra-made weapon against Neji's palms.

With a grunt, the Hyuga mustered all his strength to push the sword away and quickly spun around, executing his Rotation technique.

"Argh!" Sasuke was tossed back, and turned into smoke.

_Shadow Clone,_ Neji thought. _Above! _

He dived off just in time as Sasuke descended.

"Chidori!"

The attack punctured the ground, creating an explosion.

As the smoke cleared, Sasuke caught sight of Neji again, calmly standing some distance away in his Gentle Fist stance.

_I don't have much chakra left... I'll have to settle this as quickly as I can. _

He placed his hands in the Shadow Clone hand seal, and three Sasuke lookalikes appeared.

"Get him," the original muttered.

His clones nodded, charging towards Neji.

_Clones?_ Neji raised an eyebrow. _They..._ He stared at them harder with his Byakugan. _They don't seem to be normal Shadow Clones... _

The three Shadow Clones surrounded him.

His next move was the Rotation, but the Sasuke trio jumped into the air to avoid being hit by the spiralling sphere.

They all landed on Neji, pinning him on the ground.

_Now! _Sasuke placed his hands in the Tiger seal.

Subsequently, the three Shadow Clones on top of Neji exploded.

"Shadow Clone Explosion!"

From the smoke, came log pieces, flying everywhere.

Sasuke frowned. "A perfectly executed Substitution Jutsu, huh, Neji?" He made hand seals and his Chidori appeared. "Chidori Sharp Spear!"

He turned, and his Chidori lengthened into his desired technique.

"Quick to react, as always," Neji remarked, as he avoided the spear. _His chakra is running out. I'll just have to keep avoiding all the jutsu he throws at me, and when his chakra burns out I'll move in for the win. _

Sasuke threw two kunai, both with explosive tags attached to them.

_Piece of cake,_ Neji smiled, as he did a back-flip. The kunai embedded into the ground, the position he'd been at a few seconds ago, and exploded.

_I'm going to have to try to distract him with clones and defeat him when he's pre-occupied..._ Sasuke's hands formed into the Shadow Clone hand seal. Two clones appeared, and both armed kunai.

_It appears that they are genuine Shadow Clones,_ Neji scanned them with his dojutsu as they charged.

Both clones swiped at Neji with their kunai. He easily knocked away one of the clones' kunai, but as he did this, the other managed to land a small cut on his face.

Wincing, Neji kicked back, but the clone dodged easily.

The disarmed Shadow Clone started generating Lightning chakra in his fists, and threw a few punches at the long-haired Hyuga, the speed of the attacks increasing with every punch. Meanwhile, the kunai-wielding Sasuke continued to swipe and slash.

_Sasuke poured more chakra than usual into these clones,_ Neji defended himself from the disarmed Sasuke clone, and kicked him back. As he predicted, the clone did not disperse, instead getting back up to re-engage him. _They're harder to combat, and they don't disperse as easily. _

Neji slammed his palm into the kunai-wielding clone, knocking him to the ground. _Still, I will defeat them. _

He kicked the other Sasuke away, dispersing him, and then sat on the last Shadow Clone to pin him down, before raining his palms down on the clone's chest, who quickly disappeared with a painful groan.

"Chidori!"

His eyes widened as, with his Byakugan, he watched Sasuke just behind him, intent on piercing him with a Chidori.

_No... it's too late!_ Neji thought with despair, as he turned his head.

Suddenly, the Chidori exploded, just before it hit.

Sparks of Lightning chakra knocked both Jonin hopefuls back.

"Damn it," Sasuke cursed softly, as he felt himself weakening. _I don't have enough chakra left to maintain the Chidori! _

Neji ran up to the Uchiha. _His chakra's burnt out, now's my chance! _

Just as he got in range to deal his first hit, Sasuke's foot slammed into his cheek. "Not so fast."

"Urk!" Neji fell to the ground, his hand placed on his cheek. It was burning with pain. _Even after he's used up all that chakra... he still has this much strength? _Then, he saw it. The black marks of the Cursed Seal had appeared on Sasuke's face.

_The chakra boost from the Cursed Seal should be pretty handy now,_ Sasuke grinned, cracking his knuckles. _Still, it's just a slight boost. I'll have to conserve as much as possible. _

Tsunade observed Sasuke. "So that's Orochimaru's Cursed Seal, huh? He looks perfectly in control."

"He is, Hokage-sama," Kakashi eye-smiled.

Sasuke disappeared.

Neji turned, but could not produce a counterattack in time as Sasuke reappeared behind him and launched a powerful kick.

_He's fast!_

Neji landed on his hands, and quickly pushed himself up back on his feet. Sasuke was suddenly right in front of him.

"Hya!" He quickly attacked, but yelled in pain as Sasuke exploded into lightning, electrifying him. "L-Lighting Style Shadow Clone... argh!" He fell to his knees, as the hostile electricity flowed through his body.

A second later, Sasuke's foot met his face, drawing blood from his nose and sending him flying back.

The Cursed Seal marks around his left wrist merged, and the skin on his left hand darkened. The Black Chidori appeared, and Sasuke roared as it stretched towards Neji.

"Chidori Lament!"

"What the hell?" Neji tried to avoid the streaks of evil Lightning chakra, but one eventually struck him, electrifying his body again.

Another blasted into his chest, making him scream.

Sasuke seized the opportunity to power up his right fist with his chakra. His hand glowed blue, but did not have the same intensity as a normal Chidori.

His Chidori Lament technique still activated on his left hand, Sasuke let out a battle cry and made a leap towards Neji.

"Huruuyaahhh!"

Sasuke's right hand sank into Neji's face.

* * *

**Not the longest battle ever, but hopefully it's good enough. I haven't written for a few weeks so it might be a little bit rusty. **

**Question of the Day: Can you name all of Sasuke's Lightning Style ninjutsu and Chidori-based techniques without looking back at previous chapters? **

**Next chapter will be the final chapter of the Sasuke's Jonin Exams Arc and of course, finally, the final chapter of _Team Itachi_. **


	66. The End

**I am back, finally. It's the end of exams now so hopefully I'll be regularly updating again. **

**It's the last chapter of _Team Itachi,_ finally. The first chapter of _Team Itachi: Shippuden_ will be out on Saturday, so do look out for it on my profile ;) **

_**Lin**_**: I suffered a lot without being unable to write something for so many weeks! Just heard that music and I have to agree it does sound pretty suitable :P **

_**LONGNodaichi**_**: You can't blind someone by punching them in the face ;) and yes, _Team Itachi: Shippuden_ will be published on Saturday. **

_**Hachibi8tails**_**: I meant all the jutsu that Sasuke has used in the story - not the ones you think he will use later on :P **

_**Babyhearts**_**: Thanks - better late than never! **

**Thanks to _Arch The Ripper, Lin, shadowmarialove, LONGNodaichi, FrozenFlamingFire, demonic hellfire, SkyRage, S.R.457, Hachibi8tails_ and _Babyhearts _for the reviews! **

* * *

Sasuke's right hand sank into Neji's face.

He let out a cry of pain as he was knocked to the ground. A small wave of Lightning chakra danced on his cheek, the spot he'd been hit. Sasuke looked down at Neji, ready to strike again.

Then, Sasuke felt something wrapping on his wrists.

Sensing something amiss, he jumped back, but the rope-like thing pulled him down towards the lying form of Neji.

Swiftly, Neji's right hand jabbed itself into Sasuke's chest, cushioning his fall.

Almost instantly, the Uchiha spat out blood.

"Got you now," Neji grinned.

Sasuke gasped. "What..."

"I got these invisible chain from Tenten," his opponent smirked, staggering back up on his feet. It was evident that he'd took quite a bit of damage from the punch. "I knew they would come in handy sooner or later."

Sasuke fell on his left knee as he felt his chakra leaving him.

"But now you don't have..." Neji stopped mid-sentence, panting. "... you don't have your jutsu, it's my turn."

Readying himself, Sasuke restarted their battle, flinging shuriken towards Neji.

The throwing stars hit the target, but a simple Substitution Jutsu did the trick. Sasuke swung back, but was too late to prevent Neji's successive palmed attacks, knocking him down.

"You're at your limit," Neji declared.

"Heh," Sasuke huffed. "So are you."

He roared unexpectedly, jumping back up and aiming three punches at Neji's face.

The Hyuga genius raised his hands to block them, but struggled with the strength Sasuke channeled into his fists. The last punch slammed into his jaw, sending him reeling back.

Blood started running down his lips as Neji rubbed his jaw, wincing in pain. He could feel his strength leaving him already.

Sasuke then started coughing, and more blood was spat onto the arena ground.

Both opponents looked each other in the eye, and then charged.

A single attack was exchanged - Sasuke with a punch, Neji with a jab.

Their respective attacks hit, and a second later both had collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

* * *

"Congratulations."

Three days had passed, and the surprisingly short Jonin Exams had concluded.

Sasuke and Neji, with various bandages and plasters all over their body, looked down at the Jonin vests on the desk.

"Both of you have been promoted to the Jonin rank," Tsunade smiled.

Sasuke grabbed his Jonin vest with glee.

It seemed to bear no difference to the Chunin vest he currently had on, apart from the lighter shade of green, but it didn't matter.

He was a Jonin now!

"Also, accompanied with your ascension to the Jonin rank are these free new forehead protectors." Tsunade placed two Konoha forehead protectors on her desk. They were both colored black.

"We couldn't agree on a winner for the fight," the Godaime explained, as both newly-appointed Jonin shinobi took their new forehead protectors. "So we have decided to promote both of you to Jonin instead of one. Serve the Hidden Leaf well."

Sasuke and Neji nodded and bowed.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

* * *

"So, Sasuke-kun, you're a Jonin now, huh?"

Sakura smiled brightly at Sasuke, who returned it with a grin of his own.

"Yeah," he tugged at his brand new Jonin vest, and tightened his also brand new forehead protector. "These feel pretty good." He then gestured towards Sakura. "By the way, your new one's nice too."

"Hehe, you noticed?" Sakura giggled as she tied her red forehead protector hairband style. "I think it looks better than the old blue one."

"Definitely," Sasuke shot her a thumbs-up.

Sakura smiled, and looked up into the sky.

_How are you doing now, Naruto? Sasuke's a Jonin now. Are you getting any stronger? _

With the flicker of a Teleportation Jutsu, Itachi arrived on the scene.

"So, are you guys ready for your next mission?"

Sakura snapped out of her daydreaming and grinned.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

"What the hell? Sasuke's a Jonin now?!"

The blonde, spiky-haired teenager groaned as he buried his head in his hands.

He looked to be around 15 years of age. The whisker marks on his cheek was perhaps his most prominent facial features, aside from his shining blue eyes.

"Hey, calm down, kid," an older, white-haired man laughed. "It doesn't mean he's stronger than you, you know!"

"Aww, thanks Pervy-"

"But it does actually mean he's stronger than you, officially, anyway."

"Argh!"

"Wahahaha!"

Naruto growled at Jiraiya. "Stupid old pervert."

Jiraiya ignored the insult, chuckling away.

With an annoyed sigh, Naruto got back up. "I'm going to continue training."

Jiraiya stared at his student's back as Naruto walked away.

"Aww, is someone mad?"

"Shuddup!"

"Wahahaahahaha!"

Naruto pouted.

_Stupid old Pervy Sage... _

He walked into the clearing, and got out the scroll stashed away in his pocket. Unrolling it, Naruto went over the contents carefully. It was probably the millionth time he had laid eyes on it.

As he pocketed the scroll again, his mind went to somewhere special. To home.

_Heh, I wonder how Sasuke and Sakura-chan are holding up. _

Naruto charged towards one of the nearby trees, slamming his hand into the trunk.

Then, he leaped away abruptly, landing on top of another tree, before falling from it, towards the ground.

The next thing you knew, he had disappeared in a yellow flash.

* * *

**Definitely not the best of endings, I suppose. Hahaha. But I like how the story has gone overall, so I guess the ending can be a little bit shitty. It's short, but it's simply to appease your hunger once more, until the real thing you've been waiting for is published on Saturday ;) **

**The last ever Questions of the Day on _Team Itachi_ - **

**Q: In your opinion, what in this story did you like the most? **

**Q: In your opinion, what in this story did you dislike the most? **

**Q: Would you read_ Team Itachi: Shippuden_?**

**Q: Do you love Killer of thy Cookies? **

**And that's a wrap from me, and for _Team Itachi_. **

**I would like to thank _The True Not Important_ for being my first ever reviewer, and being a constant reviewer of _Team Itachi _until only recently. I don't know where he/she has gone, but I am indebted to you for kicking my review spree off. :) **

**I would also like to thank people like_ Rain Dove, Lin_ and _Hachibi8tails_ for leaving the most epic of the epic reviews. Their reviews are the ones I enjoy reading the most and I can't wait to receive more support from you guys for _Team Itachi: Shippuden_.**

**And of course a huge thank you to every single one of you who has reviewed my story as well.**

**THANK YOU! **

_**Team Itachi: Shippuden **_**kicks off - Saturday, 18th May 2013. **


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